Time for Blood & Roses
by Lucinda
Summary: William from 'Time for Change' comes to Sunnydale, to find his very own Willow.  Slightly AU, complete, reformattted for spelling.
1. parts 1 to 14

author: Lucinda

rating: pg to pg 13

pairing: William( mortal pre-Spike)/Willow friendship mentions William's (unreturned) feelings for Cecily will contain some Spike/Dru, will become Willow/Spike

disclaimer: I do not own anyone you recognize.

distribution: Please ask first, unless I said you could have A Time for Change. Then, you can have this one also.

Note: This is something of an alternate sequel to A Time for Change. It's the story of William ( I know I shifted his age younger) and the new obsession in Spike's unlife, Willow, in the new timeline created when Willow was sent back in A Time for Change.

If you haven't read ATfC, what you need to know is this: it's 1933, William is alive, and meets Willow, who was flung back in time by Glory in BtVS5. They become friends....

William Exeter was nervous. He was about to read his latest poem, and he already knew that people wouldn't be impressed. It just didn't make sense, the words, the feelings that he wanted to capture burned so clearly in his mind, the emotions so intense, so vivid that he had to try to write them down. He never came close enough. What began in his mind as intense, breathtaking poetry of emotion ended up on paper as... well, it just wasn't that good. He knew it wasn't terribly good. He kept hoping to improve, and so he read his words in poetry discussion groups. He kept hoping that someday, someone would understand what he was striving for, could show him how to show the beauty of the written word.

Tonight, he had the latest of the many efforts of poetry inspired by the luminous beauty of Cecily, the most delicate and graceful flower of society. He hoped that someday, one of his poems would be worthy of her, worthy of being used to reveal to her his feelings. Until then, he would praise her virtues and beauty, without using her name.

He read his poetry, about the effulgent beauty of his love. He could hear a boy in the audience, saying that his poetry was bloody awful. The boy hadn't been very loud, and it didn't seem that to many people had heard him, but still... the words hurt. He had heard similar things before, but that didn't stop them from hurting.

After he had read his latest offering, he stepped down, trying to retreat into the crowd. He looked up, suddenly aware that there was a person standing in front of him. A woman in a gray dress. He looked at her, and blinked. She had brilliant red hair, pulled back into a knot at the back of her neck. Her skin was pale and clear, and her eyes were like leaves, a soft soothing green.

"I thought your poem was very passionate. You had a lot of feeling in it." She had spoken softly, her voice pleasant as birdsong in the morning.

"You know, I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about my poetry." He tried to smile pleasantly at her, hoping to be polite to this kind woman.

"Your lady love doesn't like it? I thought any woman would be delighted to have someone writing her poems. Especially if their about her being as lovely as the heavens." Her eyes sparkled, and she seemed very nice.

"Ummm Actually, I haven't told her. She doesn't know how I feel about her. Ahh I'm William Exeter by the way." He offered her his hand somewhat belatedly, trying not to flush at his lapse in manners.

She took his hand in hers, smiling at him. Not a smile calculated to overwhelm, but rather a smile that understood. "I used to love someone from afar, once upon a time. It was... he didn't know. Everything I thought should tell him how I felt..he missed it. SO, I kind of understand where you are now. And I'm babbling at you now and I didn't even tell you my name yet, oh dear, umm I'm Willow Rosenberg." By the end of her words she was blushing, the color giving her cheeks a resemblance to roses in bloom.

He smiled a bit, feeling some of his nerves and tension drain away. If she babbled like that, and blushed so charmingly, surely she couldn't be mentally criticizing him to terribly? "Do you often attend poetry readings?

"I like poetry. I only came to London recently, so you wouldn't have seen me here before, but I used to listen to poetry readings when I had the chance at home. I lived in America, a small town called Sunnydale in California." She looked sad for a moment, her eyes darkening as her focus softened, as if wrestling with profoundly deep feelings, or troubled memories. "I didn't have nearly as much time for poetry as I would have liked when I lived there. But yours has a lot of feeling in it, I think I'd like to hear your next efforts."

She wanted to hear his poetry! William could feel something inside of him flutter, an unsettling and pleasant experience. They talked a little more, about small things. He learned that she was a private tutor, and her charge was Alex O'Connell. After she had waved a friendly goodbye, needing to take Alex home with her, he still found himself remembering her smile, the way her eyes had sparkled.

It seemed that he had a friend now.

End part 1.

William found himself meeting Willow occasionally. They would have lunch together, and talk about little things, or nothing. She would read his poetry sometimes, and she always found something to praise about it. She would also listen to him ramble on about Cecily, listening, and sometimes asking a question if something wasn't clear to her. She was a friend for him, one of a very few that he'd ever had. She never told him that he was foolish for writing poetry, or for loving Cecily.

She did say that if all he did was sit back on the side and watch Cecily, never telling her how he felt, he would never know her feelings.

Of course, she had then gone into this little rambling thing about how sometimes knowing how the other person felt could be quite painful, especially if how they felt was that they'd rather be kissing someone that they had always hated than have anything to do with you. It had been interesting to listen to. He suspected that it had to do with the person that she had loved from afar.

William also had to admit that there was logic in what she said. If he never spoke to Cecily about his feelings, then he wouldn't know how she felt. However, he was afraid to tell Cecily. Her family was more prosperous than his, and she was radiantly beautiful... what if she wanted someone better than him? He had voiced this fear to Willow, who had frowned slightly, and told him that he was a wonderful guy, and that he shouldn't insult himself because God only knew how many other people in the world would gladly insult him all on their own, and while he couldn't stop them, he could certainly chose not insult himself.

There was quite the temper under that red hair. He had promised her to never insult himself in her presence again. That had won him a smile, and a slight giggle. He had no idea how he had managed to find such a wonderful friend. Surely without her, his life would be darker.

Unfortunately, she would have to leave London soon. She was, after all, a tutor, hired to instruct Alex. His parents had decided to go to Egypt searching for some ruins, being archeologists. They had decided to take Alex with them, and where he went, Willow had to go. He had no idea how he would face things without her cheerful smiles and kind words. William knew that he would miss her terribly, and wondered how long it would be before he saw Willow again.

He had made great efforts for her farewell gift, writing her a poem comparing her friendship to the warmth of the sun. He knew that she would smile, offer her thanks for he gift. Hopefully, she would also like it. Hopefully, the poem wasn't quite as bad as some of his others.

Perhaps, while Willow was gone, he could try to talk too Cecily? Maybe gather the courage to tell her how he felt? Yes, that would be a good plan. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

End part 2.

William had watched as the boat Willow was on sailed away. He had an odd feeling, like there was something significant happening, something important... he just had no idea what it was. He shook off the odd feeling. Tonight, there was a party at the home of Cecily's family. He planned to go, to see her, and maybe talk to her. Maybe he could even tell her how he felt. Tonight, everything would change.

He managed to find Cecily in the garden that evening. She was alone beside a hedge, possibly deep in thought. She was wearing a gown of amber silk, with some filmy gauzy bits and gold beading. She looked glorious.

"Cecily? I ahh I was hoping to have a moment of your time?" William had wanted to sound confident, smooth. Instead, his voice betrayed his nervousness.

She turned, surprised to see him, to have her solitude interrupted. "Hmm? Exeter, right? What did you want?"

He blinked a moment, his mind leaping over all sots of possible outcomes, from her flinging herself into his arms with declarations of her own love to shocked surprise. "I.. I wanted to give you this." He couldn't bring himself to tell her how he felt. He held out a paper, his latest poem about her written on it. If he couldn't speak the words, she could read what he had written.

Her expression slightly curious, she took the paper, bringing it near her body, unfolding it and reading the words. He watched her soft pink lips moving slightly as she scanned the words. She looked up at him, and could tell from his still nervous hopeful expression that the poem was his creation.

She crumpled the paper in her hand, one nail tearing the paper, unconcerned with the time involved in writing it. "You are beneath me, William Exeter. There is nothing between us and there never will be." She threw the crumpled page down on the ground, and walked away.

William watched her go, feeling his heart crumple inside as the poem had just done, both crushed by her actions. He knew how she felt now.

He got his coat, murmuring something to the footman before leaving. He had no idea what he had said, wasn't certain it mattered. His first thought was to talk to Willow. She would be able to help him find a way to survive this. But then, he remembered that Willow was gone, on a boat to Egypt. He couldn't talk to her, couldn't ask her how she survived knowing that her own beloved wanted nothing to do with her.

Somehow, he ended up in a pub, drinking mug after mug of something, hoping to numb the pain he felt. He just wanted all the pain to stop. He didn't even think it mattered what price there would be to end the pain, as long as it did stop. Eventually, his pockets having run out of the money for another mug of whatever he had been drinking, he left the building.

He barely noticed the group of people standing in the alley: A large man with dark hair, a lovely blond, and a dark haired woman. They watched him stumble past, his heart still in broken painful shards, and said something among themselves. He didn't pay them any attention, how could they make a difference?

He did look up a few moments later. He had nearly run into the dark haired woman in front of him. She had long dark hair, and an old fashioned green gown on. She looked entirely out of place in the alley. His mind spun feebly, wobbling as he tried to gather some idea why a lady would be in this dismal place.

"Can I help you, miss?" He tried to be polite. Mustn't forget ones manners...

"Poor broken pet. Did someone make you bleed and scream and hurt? Let me make it all better..." She cooed at him, her eyes seeming to grow larger as he gazed into them.

He could feel himself drowning in the pools of her eyes, the pain being pushed down for a moment. Dimly, he could hear his voice whisper, "make the pain go away?"

As if from a great distance, William felt something sharp in the side of his throat. He could almost feel her hands holding his arms, gripping with a strength her apparent frailty denied. Dimly, he thought that this should bother him. He could feel the world spinning and fading away around him, and the pain in his heart slowly faded.

Slightly distorted, as if listening from underwater, he heard the woman speak again. "Daddy, can I keep him? Pretty please?"

Everything went black, and he felt nothing.

End part 3.

William felt himself returning to consciousness. Something was different inside. The pain of Cecily's rejection was gone, leaving only rage and an odd sort of hollow feeling. He felt..strong and oddly hungry. He opened his eyes, finding himself in a nicely appointed bedroom, with a shelf of porcelain dolls to his left. Some of them had lost their eyes; others had gags or blindfolds on their faces. He knew that he was in a strange place, and things would be different.

The door opened, and he found himself looking at the woman with dark hair, the one that had been in the alley. Today, her gown was black, and she wore a slender black ribbon with a cameo at her throat.

"Ohh, goodie, you're awake. I shall have to tell Daddy. Don't worry, my pet, mummy will teach you everything you need to know to be strong." Her voice was filled with anticipation, and her eyes gleamed brightly.

"I...I feel like I should know you. But.. you were in the alley... who are you?" He felt as if the answers were there, just slightly out of reach. He felt something inside him yearning for the dark haired woman, like a flower for the sunlight.

"I'm your new mummy, your new princes. I'll make you forget all about the nasty yellow woman that made you all hurty inside. Come meet your new family." She held out he hand to him, and he found himself easily lifted from the bed.

He was introduced to Angelus and Darla. He vaguely remembered them both from the alley as well. There was the same feeling towards Angelus as there was towards Dru, as if he belonged with them. Darla made something inside of him pull away, as if afraid. Something seemed slightly off about the whole situation, but it wasn't until he passed a large, guilt edged mirror that he had anything he could point firmly to as wrong.

"Why don't I see myself in the mirror? I know I'm here, but.." He was confused, this made no sense. Something deep inside began screaming, a futile protest to what was to come. Angelus smiled slightly, an expression with very little humor in it, but he didn't reflect either.

"You don't reflect because vampires have no reflection. The why beyond that isn't important. Don't look quite so shocked. You're a vampire now. You exist under a whole different set of rules. Let's go out for dinner now." Angelus' words were arrogant, and carried a touch of impatience as well.

Vampire... a vampire. William's mind tried to understand this news as he followed his... what? captors? killers? family? as he followed the others out of the house, into the night air. He discovered that he could see everything clearly, and hear the smallest noise with ease.

That night, he killed a man. He tore his throat open, and drank the rich hot blood greedily, as if his very existence depended on it. Which, as it turned out was now the case. With blood, he could exist forever. He felt better after, no longer hungry, and most of that curious emptiness momentarily full of humming warm life.

That night, Dru took him as her own, introducing him not only to feeding and pain, but to carnal passion as well. Their bodies had come together, twisting and touching under the light of the stars in a frenzy of need and raw emotion. Everything changed that night.

Deep inside of William, a small part wept for the fact that surely Willow would only see a monster in him now. Let her keep her fond memories of William, she would be perhaps the only one that did. He had become someone else now. William had died, in his place stood Spike.

End part 4.

Spike knew that he could not keep his old life. William Exeter had died. Now, he had a new beginning, and he didn't have to be the shy poet and scholar anymore. He flung himself into his new existence, learning all about pain and passion, and the history of vampires. Rapidly, the family made a big and violent impact, making a wicked reputation in all the right circles.

Mortals, even those who had no idea what they truly were, gave them space, fearing the aura of danger that surrounded the group. Watchers cowered, and there was no council hunter that could harm them. They did no fear the Council of Watchers, nor the Slayers that were supposed to be the council's greatest weapon. Other vampires gave them respect, not only for the age and reputation of their bloodline, the order of Aurelius, but for the reputation they had earned as ruthless, bloody killers.

Everything was... as bloody and passionate as things were supposed to be, until Angelus and Darla caught a gypsy girl one night to play with and kill. Darla had planned to make the gypsy girl scream, claiming that the only thing better than the blood of someone that carried a hint of magic was blood laced with magic and fear. Angelus had smiled, always willing to cause pain where Darla chose, and his expression had held glee for the upcoming suffering of the poor girl. The fact that she had also been quite pretty was a bad thing for the gypsy, poor young Rosa Kalderash.

Dru had whimpered, saying that the stars spoke against it, saying that Mummy and Daddy would find a bad song.. that everything would change tonight. She had said that the moon would turn her face from them in shame if they took part in this, and the darkness would not bring them any peace. When Darla had only laughed at the warnings of the moon and stars, poor mad Dru had explained very earnestly that Miss Edith said that while the little flower was a naughty girl, who played with the magic lights, her granny would be very, very cross, and there would be no tea or cakes for any of them.

Spike wasn't certain if he believed Dru. Yes, she sometimes had visions of what cold be, but... How could a gypsy or even a clan of them turn the moon from them, so that the dark would bring no peace? Perhaps it would be better to be overly cautious, to simply take Dru away so that her whimpers and pleas wouldn't enrage Darla. He had taken her somewhere far away from the elder two that night, trying to distract her from her worries with every talent at his command. Blood, pain, sex... nothing worked for long, and by the early morning, she was on her knees, screaming at the stars not to take her daddy away from her.

Dru then listened intently for a few moments, and collapsed into a weeping heap on the floor. She shrieked denials, and clawed at her face, leaving gashes from her sharp nails, and the blood streamed down her face. She begged not to have to see, pleaded to make it stop. She pounded her fists against the floor, until her hands were bruised and splitting the skin open along the heel of her hands and the pads of her fingers, leaving bloody handprints over the floor. The blood that had fallen from her slashed face and the bloody handprints had left a chill over Spike's spine, as if he was seeing some terrible and powerful secret ritual. Something had broken inside of Dru, and those marks were the visible expression of that.

Spike did his best to calm her down. He managed to decipher through her tears and sobs that the 'nasty old witch' had cast a spell on Darla and Angelus, and Dru claimed that 'her daddy wasn't her daddy anymore, he didn't want his princess now'. The only part that made any sense was that the gypsy girl's family had been furious over her death. Somehow, they had cast a very big and powerful spell on Angelus, and it had changed things. What had been changed or how, Spike had little understanding. He knew that it had broken something inside of Dru, but he had no idea what cost there might be to the rest of the family.

He wouldn't have been able to imagine the effects that the spell would have on their wicked little family until later, and some things would take far longer than others, but he knew that things would never be the same. The delightful childhood of his vampire existence was over. That would be the last he saw of either Angelus or Darla for many long years.

End part 5.

They hadn't seen Angelus since the night that he and Darla had killed the gypsy girl. Darla had found them, saying that the gypsy clan had done something horrible to Angelus, and they had gone to try to persuade the gypsies to undo it, but... that had been a spectacular failure. Spike had ended up eating this guy that had tried to take advantage of Dru, Dru had given their fortune teller fits talking about the moon and stars, asking what songs they sang to her. Spike had no idea if the fortuneteller had any real ability or just worked her ways parting money from people who wanted her to have power. Darla seemed very edgy, very emotional, and unfortunately, she was still as high handed and demanding as ever.

After they had left the gypsy encampment, still having no idea where Angelus had gone, and knowing little more about what they had done to him, Darla had turned on them. She had shrieked at them like some sort of harpy, accusing the now frightened younger vampires of ruining her chances of ever having Angelus back the way things had been. She had hit them, her fists connecting with their bodies, sometimes solidly on bone, sometimes merely glancing off flesh. Spike had felt some of his ribs crack under her fists, and had felt a sharp snapping pain in his arm after another. Dru was whimpering and cowering, her partly healed face wide eyed with fear. Darla was shrieking furiously the whole time, and left them cowering together as she stormed off to find her childe herself.

"Mummy scares me now, my Spike. Can you help me go far away and hide from her?" Dru's voice was barely over a whisper, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Her cheek was purpling where Darla's fist had connected, and the slashes had reopened there, sending a few trickles of crimson blood over her bruised face.

"Yeah, luv. She's scaring me now as well. How about Venice?" Spike wasn't certain what had happened to Darla. She had always had a streak of cruelty, and selfishness, but.. this uncontrolled emotional shifting? It was new, and they had no idea how to deal with it. She was not pleasant to be around much of the time before, but... if she blamed them somehow for the loss of her childe and lover, what terrible things would happen in her company? No, best to go far away.

So, the pair of them fled, having only returned to their lair long enough to pack a few things, some clothing, money, a few weapons. Dru also packed a few of her dolls, but she left most of them behind, claiming that since they hadn't spoken against Grand mum's naughty games, they would no longer go with them. Dru had always referred to Darla as her mummy, but since she spoke to the dolls as if they were her children, Darla was their grand mum. They feared seeing Darla again, so travel, far from anywhere that she would go seemed very appealing to Spike. Dru no longer seemed to worry as much about where they would go.

Everything had changed over those two nights. Angelus had vanished. Darla had turned into an emotionally unstable abusive fiend, obsessed with finding Angelus. Dru had broken inside. Her madness had increased, and she could no longer deal normally with the world. Spike had to take care of her, protect her from reality. They were no longer lovers, but he still cared for her. She looked at him as her brave knight, the one who would keep her safe since the castle had fallen and her daddy had vanished. They had learned to keep a lower profile, to exist unnoticed by the watchers, without trouble from the local vampires.

But they kept traveling, never staying longer than a few years in any one place. Dru would sometimes say that the stars wanted her to go somewhere else, would send her searching for something. Spike didn't mind her mad quests for strange trinkets. He had found the traveling to be interesting. Occasionally, he would think about the past, both the time when his vampire family had been complete and before, when he had been William Exeter. He still remembered Willow, keeping her memory like a bright light in the dark of his mind. He could picture her in his mind, and occasionally wondered what had happened to her after that trip she had taken to Egypt. He hoped that she had found happiness.

He had once told her that he sometimes wanted to see the world beyond London. The memory of her twinkling green eyes and bright red hair gleaming in the sun that afternoon had stayed with him, as intense as when it had happened. She had smiled at him, and said that there was a whole fascinating world out there, and had said that if he wanted to travel hard enough, he would find a way. Somehow, he doubted that this was what she had meant. Oddly, he had found himself hoping that he wouldn't meet her again, fearing that she would see only a monster in him now.

"My Spike, the stars are singing to me again. They say we've spent enough time in Brazil, and it's time to go away from here. The little fairies don't like us anymore." Dru's voice crooned slightly, rising in pitch towards the end, and she ended up humming a little song as she swayed slightly, holding Miss Edith firmly to her.

Spike looked at her, translating her words as he watched her. He had never figured out if she actually got some message from somewhere telling her to move or simply grew bored with a place. The little fairies she mentioned were the mosquitoes, great huge bloodthirsty bugs that lived in the area. In Spike's opinion, they liked them all to well, and hadn't figured out that the only blood-drinking involving vampires was supposed to be the vampires drinking, not a swarm of bugs feeding on the vampires. She was saying it was time to go, and he had no objection to that idea in the least. "Dru? Princess, is there somewhere in particular that we should go now, or just away from here?"

She suddenly smiled, and the expression made her look almost sane for a moment. " We need to go north, to the Mouth. Our daddy went there, even if he isn't our daddy anymore. We need to save our not daddy from the nasty blonde girl like taffy. She would do bad things to him if she can." Suddenly, Dru paused, and lifted her doll up as if listening to whispered words. "Oh! Miss Edith says you have to go, your tree is there, all fire and green eyes..."

Spike sat up as if he'd been stung. "My tree... what are you? I guess we have to pack out things then. How far is this Mouth anyhow, and will I know it when we get close to it?"

Dru simply smiled, pleased to see that Miss Edith was right. Spike still remembered his tree, someone from long ago when he had still had such pain in his warm heart. She didn't understand how his tree could be in the place where her not-daddy was when she had found her Spike so many years ago, but Miss Edith had said the tree was there. Miss Edith would never lie about something so important. "We have to go north, and towards the ocean. Your tree is in the same place as our not-daddy, they both hide over the Mouth. We will feel it when we get closer. Let's hurry, I can't wait to meet your tree, and I can save Daddy from the sticky taffy."

They spent the rest of the day packing. Boxes of books, clothing, most of which belonged to Dru, her dolls and trinkets, and a few odds and ends were all packed away into the small trailer attached to the back of Spike's car. As soon as the sun had set, they began their trip north, to find the Mouth. Going to find their not-daddy and Spike's tree.

End part 6.

The trip felt very long. They had crossed several borders, and had managed to make their way into America. Dru was directing them more west now, and Spike could feel the faintest hint of the blood link between himself and Angelus. He was in that direction, west and north-ish. He found himself driving faster, impatient now to find this place, this Mouth and get settled. He had a feeling, somewhere between hope and fear, that the tree Dru had mentioned was Willow.

After many more hours of driving, he began to sense something else. He had no idea what it was, but he could feel it, something out there pulling at him, like a magnet pulled a steel needle. It was something powerful, and dark, and it made his teeth itch. Whatever this something was, it felt like Angelus was in the same area. They were now approaching a town, some little place called Sunnydale.

"Dru? Do you feel that something? Makes my teeth itch... what is it? Did Miss Edith warn you about anything up ahead?" He was getting a feeling that this Sunnydale would be their next home, and it had secrets. He didn't think they were good secrets.

Dru giggled, pleased that Spike could feel it. "Of course, silly. It's the mouth that you feel, all dark whispers about pain and blood and death... puts a dark shadow over the whole little town, and most of the people never know until.. " She snapped her teach closed with an audible click. "We have to be careful. The taffy girl lives here, and she's very violent. She'd hurt us if she found us. Our not-daddy and the tree are over the mouth as well. The mouth wanted to swallow up all the pretty flowers and the birds, but it got something caught in its throat and can't spit it out or eat anything up, so it just seethes there. You will have to be careful with your little tree as well. She won't know that you only want to play nice games with her."

Spike wasn't quite certain what to think about all of Dru's words. The something he felt was the Mouth she had been talking about, but what was it the mouth of? The taffy girl... could she be a Slayer? As for Dru's words about his tree, he had no idea what that could mean. He'd have to go explore the town a bit and find out.

They ended up settling in an abandoned factory. Dru was quite happy with the place, and began unpacking the boxes immediately, fretting a bit about where to put everything. Spike told her to stay inside and be careful, and went out to explore the town. If he were going to be staying in this Sunnydale, it would be best to have a better idea where things were.

He walked, learning that here were a number of abandoned factories, some of which had been claimed as lairs for assorted demons or packs of vampires. There was also a large warehouse area near the docks, implying that there was still a reasonable amount of water shipping going on in this town, even if it looked like the manufacturing had fallen away with the passing of years. A good number of the warehouses were being used as lairs as well. He wasn't the only one that had felt the pull of this town.

There were also a lot of cemeteries for a town this size. Not a lot of little cemeteries instead of one or two big ones, but almost a dozen large cemeteries, all showing signs of plentiful recent burials. They also were very impressive cemeteries, full of ornate headstones and imposing mausoleums as well as the more simple headstones found in most cemeteries. As he was meandering, thinking about the implications of so many new graves, he heard the sound of a female voice approaching.

He slipped into a nearby mausoleum and watched. There was a blonde in a short skirt and knee high boots wearing a close fitting pale shirt, talking about how much work a teacher was assigning, and how difficult it would be to find the time to do it all. He felt a deep-seated dislike of her immediately. There was another figure, a girl in a pair of jeans and a green striped shirt walking with her, listening to the blonde's words. There was a new risen minion trying to sneak up on the girls.

As he watched, the blond turned around, kicking the minion away with a strength impossible for a normal human. The minion hit a headstone, and staggered to his feet growling. Blondie punched him a few more times before she produced a wooden stake and plunged it into the minion's chest, reducing him to dust. Red had stayed back, watching the whole thing not with fear or surprise, but with caution. Red didn't want to get caught in the middle of the fight.

Minion dispatched, the two girls continued their walk, eventually being close enough that he could see their faces. Blondie was apparently named Buffy, and had hazel eyes and wore plentiful makeup, looking very much the modern fashionable teen. She looked about sixteen or seventeen, and moved with confidence. Red sounded like they were in the same classes, but she didn't dress anywhere near the same. He clothing looked comfortable, and a bit concealing, as if she wanted to hide form the world. As they passed the building, he got a good look at her, and the world turned at an angle for him.

It was Willow.

Granted, she didn't have nearly the poise or confidence that he remembered his Willow having, but she also only looked about sixteen. Somehow, this was his Willow, only younger. How she could be the same Willow down to the pattern of freckles, yet younger than when he had met her decades before was a complete mystery, but it was unmistakably her. Willow, and from the slightly wistful sound when she had asked how Buffy juggled all the guys she was attracting, Willow didn't have anyone special in her life.

She could be his, if he could work things right. He'd have to talk to her away from the blond that had to be the Slayer, and he'd have to be patient, but... to have Willow for his very own? He could be patient.

Who cared if the Slayer couldn't make up her mind between Owen, Scott, or some guy named Angel? What sort of guy called himself Angel anyhow?

End part 7.

Spike was in a very happy mood after that night's efforts. He had done some basic exploring of the town, and he'd seen the tree, his Willow. Fate or some other power had given him a second chance to know her. This time, fancy clothing and golden curls wouldn't blind him. This time, he would be able to give her the attention that she deserved. Nothing stood in his way, well, maybe a few minor problems. He was still a vampire, and it seemed that she had become friends with a Slayer. Other than those minor troubles, nothing stood in his way.

He considered carefully what he should do, how to approach Willow. She was younger this time, and he could tell that she was shy and lacked the self confidence that she would one day have. The direct vampire approach or finding her alone and carrying her off for a night of passionate sex wouldn't be the best method at all, though it did provide some interesting mental images to ponder.... No, he would have to start with something non threatening.

He wasn't any good at non-threatening.

In simple fact, he'd spent a good many years carefully learning how to BE threatening, until the impression of danger radiated from him constantly. He'd also done a good deal to earn that impression of danger, and that certainly counted for a lot in some circles. He didn't think those were the same circles that Willow moved in. No, he couldn't picture Willow in a demon club, arguing with a groups of vampires, or screaming at some of the concerts he'd attended.

What he needed was something low key, non-threatening. Oh, it would probably help if the Slayer weren't there. She might sense him, and then things would get ugly... bad for courting it was. Frowning in thought, he remembered a few scattered bits of conversations from his mortal years. 'I used to listen to poetry readings when I had the chance at home. ' She had said. So, if he could find a place that did poetry reading in this town, he might see her there. If she saw him listening to poetry, that should help establish a non-threatening impression for her. He winced slightly, remembering all the many faults that he hadn't liked abut himself as William. Hopefully, he could do this without regressing entirely to who he used to be.

Dru was humming, smiling at the words Miss Edith had whispered into her ear moments ago. Spike had found his little tree, and now he just had to find her away from the dragon. He would have to use his old armor to do it, and think quickly. The dragon in this town was a nasty beast, all yellow hair and sweet words, taking her not daddy and hurting him all the time. Best get rid of her, best save her not-daddy from the dragon before she ate up his soul. "My Spike, what do you think a soul would taste like? Would it be all sweet like sugar"

He turned in his pacing, looking at Dru as she stood between the quiet hulks of two large machines. Miss Edith was in her arms, and the two were wearing matching dark blue gowns." Souls? Dru, I... what would eat a soul?" He was completely startled by her question. Did she meant here was some thing out there eating souls, or was it a metaphor, some symbol from one of her visions? "Maybe it would depend on the soul? Some nice sweet chit would taste better than a nasty old man, don't you think? Dru, sweet, why do you ask about how souls taste? Maybe they taste just like those little bits of chocolate, the ones with the little m's on them?"

Dru giggled, thinking about chocolate covered souls. "Do you really think they might? Did you bring me any of the little m's? They go so well with tea. Miss Edith and her friends Mary and Jane like them so much... No, silly, it's the dragon. She's a nasty beast, guards both my not-daddy and the little tree. We have to get not-daddy away from him before her little games make his soul fly away like a little bird... Why do my birds always die, Spikey?"

Spike sat on a crate, sighing unnecessarily. He rubbed his temple, wondering just how he'd ended up taking care of Dru again, before deciding that was a pointless line of thought. "They always die because you forget to feed them, Dru. Here's your chocolates, hope they go well with the Earl Grey." He tossed her a bag of the candies, the large size, a whole pound of them. The bag rattled when she caught it. " You say she guards not-daddy and the little tree... bloody hell, the dragon's the Slayer. Wait, Dru, what's this about not-daddy having a soul?"

End part 8.

Spike had found a little coffee shop that had poetry readings every Tuesday and Thursday. It seemed like a promising place to try to find Willow, and he could even go more or less as he was. He planned to drop in and look for her there, and as a bonus; he didn't think the slayer would be at something like that. He didn't even have to write any poetry himself, just listen to other people's efforts.

Eventually, Thursday came, and he sauntered into the coffee house for the poetry. Glancing around, he could see that his clothing didn't stick out too much, since he had left his beloved leather duster at the factory. That wouldn't have blended at all. It was actually a bit crowded, and he thought it might be a bit difficult finding a seat. Especially since he didn't want to go to the extreme of vamping out to make someone leave, trying to be low key and non-threatening. He moved between the crowded tables and booths towards the back of the building, hoping that she would be here.

Fortune smiled, there in the corner she sat, in a little wire chair at a tiny table. She was wearing jeans again, and this fluffy sweater. Nobody was sitting with her, and the one at her table seemed to be the only empty seat in the small building. He smiled a bit, thinking that this could be quite good for him, as long as he didn't scare her accidentally. He moved over, sauntering towards her table.

"Hey, red. Looks like this is the only empty seat in the house, mind if I sit here?" He tried to look less threatening, and grinned at her in what he hoped was a charming fashion.

She looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw him. She started to blush, and her whole face became this delightful pink color. "Ahh... umm... yeah, go ahead..." She gestured at the chair while she stammered, indicating that if he wanted, he could have it.

Grinning, he pulled the chair out slightly, turning it so that the back was towards the area where the people read their poetry and sat down, folding his arms over the back of the chair. "Thanks Red."

She blushed even more, and murmured something that he assumed was a statement that he was welcome to the chair, although he couldn't quite make out the words. She was very definitely shy, even had trouble talking to people. This might take a while.

While Spike was trying to get closer to Willow, Dru had her own plan. She wanted to find her not-Daddy, find him and make sure he didn't fall prey to the dragon. She was wandering through Sunnydale, looking for him. Eventually, as she wandered through a park, she saw him. He was wearing a pair of dark slacks, and a dark gray shirt, and he'd cut his soft brown curls away. He looked as handsome as ever.

"Hello, my Angel. You went away from us, left us alone with your naughty mummy. Why did you leave us all alone? The moon went dark with grief and the stars wept... All my flowers died when my Daddy left us." She looked at him as she spoke, her voice soft, almost musical.

Angel looked up at her, seeing her there in a long pale gown, watching him. Her eyes were bright, and her words made little sense. "Dru..." His voice was a whisper of shocked recognition.

She smiled at his whisper of recognition. "Oh, goody, you remember your princess." She walked over, placing one hand on his arm, running it slowly up to his shoulder. "Did you miss me after you ran away? Did you miss all the fun we used to have? Did you miss your family, my daddy who isn't?"

Angel stood here, trembling very slightly. "Dru... I'm sorry, for... I'm sorry."

Looking slightly puzzled, Dru looked at him. "My Angel, why are you all sad? Spikey and I came here, I wanted to find you before it's too late." She leaned in close to him, her next words whispered so that only he would hear them. "I didn't want to let the dragon eat up your bright shiny soul..."

Angel closed his eyes at her words. After a few moments of silence, he opened them again, looking into Dru's eyes when he spoke. "You should probably go, Dru. I'm sure Spike misses you, and Sunnydale isn't... it's not safe."

She smiled, and clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, you do still care about your princess! No, Spikey's my knight dark armor, he takes care of me but his heart isn't mine, I only borrowed it for a while. He's off looking for the one he really wants. I'll go home like a good girl for now, but we will meet again, my Angel."

Neither Angel nor Dru seemed to notice the blond crouched in the bushes. From her hiding place, Buffy wondered who the strange woman was, and why she had been talking to Angel. She hadn't liked the way she'd touched him either.

End part 9.

While Buffy patrolled, hunting the cemeteries for newly risen fledgling vampires, or unlucky minions, she fumed and tried to figure out who the strange woman in the pale dress was. The woman had been talking to Angel, her Angel. She'd touched him, looked like she knew him very well. As if she knew his body, knew the muscles of his arms. Who was this woman? How did she know Angel, and what did she want?

Buffy was definitely jealous.

Angel was hers, or at least, they were sort of... well, they were... they had this thing. She thought he was gorgeous, and he kept showing up with these cryptic warnings of danger, and he was soo gorgeous. Who wouldn't want him? She knew that Cordelia did, although Angel hadn't shown any interest in the dark haired cheerleader. Buffy had been glad of that, hoping it meant that she could have him for herself. If he wasn't as interested as she was, why did he keep watching her, his eyes following her every move whenever they were in the same place?

Buffy was choosing to ignore the fact that while she and Angel did have the whole cryptic thing going, there was also Owen, the shy poet from school, and Scott, the confident, really cute, new guy, both of whom seemed interested in her. They were both cute, in different, teenage guy sort of ways, but not like Angel, who had the gorgeous older man thing going as well.

Yes, she would eventually have to choose just one guy. Yes, there were problems with each possible choice. Angel was a vampire, they couldn't go for afternoon picnics, or walks on the sunny beach, no adorable little children. Owen just seemed so quiet, how could she let him get involved with her, with her world? Scott... Scott was a nice guy, didn't he deserve better than a girl that might have to call off a date for emergency slayage?

Meanwhile, Spike and Willow were at the poetry reading. Willow was watching the aspiring poets, occasionally looking thoughtful, once in a while wincing at some of the poems. She also kept sneaking little glances at the man seated at the table with her. He was... breathtakingly handsome, and he had this air of danger about him. Not quite what she'd expected from someone attending a poetry reading. His hair had obviously been bleached to that particular pale blond. There were defined muscles under his clothing; Willow could see hints of them through his clothing.

That thought made her blush, and she looked away, not wanting to be caught staring at him. Yes, he was clearly gorgeous in a bad and dangerous sort of way, from his bleached hair to his sparkling blue eyes to his sort of hidden muscles... well, he just looked impressive all over. Not only that, but he had this confidence, this air of mystery and power... Willow shook her head slightly. She hadn't come here to stare at strange guys with a sexy accent and a sexy scar over his eyebrow...

Who was she kidding? She was staring, or sort of staring, maybe trying not to stare? at him. She didn't even know his name, but, oh she would definitely remember him. Even if a guy like him wouldn't want anything to do with someone like her, she would clearly remember him. Guys didn't like Willow; they only talked to her if they needed something, like help with their homework. This guy was definitely old enough to be out of school. There would be nothing that she could possibly offer... With a slight frown, Willow realized that she didn't even know his name.

That brought the little threads of fantasy that a little hopeful portion of her mind had been spinning to a halt. She didn't know his name. He hadn't introduced himself, although she wasn't certain she could have spoken if he had, she didn't know anything about him other than he was gorgeous. And bleached his hair. Had a sexy British accent, but not like the accent that Giles had...

For all she knew, he could be well, he hadn't worn a wedding ring, so he probably wasn't married. Still, he probably had a girlfriend, or girlfriends, or who knows, this was California, maybe he had a boyfriend? Probably unlikely that he had a boyfriend, but... there would almost certainly be a someone. Even if, by some coincidence, he was uninvolved at the moment, that didn't mean she had a chance. He was this dangerous attractive older guy, and she was just this shy teenager. The whole idea was extremely unlikely.

She firmly told herself to listen to the poetry instead of have impossible fantasies about the sexy guy with the blue eyes that she didn't even know the name of. There would be plenty of time for fantasies later, like when she went to bed, or the next time Buffy was complaining about having to many guys in her life. Yeah, he was definitely the sort of guy you could fantasize about.

End part 10.

Angel was troubled. Dru was here in Sunnydale, and she had said that Spike was with here as well. The last remains of his family from his evil nights, here in Sunnydale for some strange purpose. He'd already had to kill Darla, his sire and longtime lover. He didn't know if he could bear to have to kill his children as well. Dru... he'd driven her insane, tortured and killed her family, made her a monster like he had been. She'd wanted to be a nun, but he'd destroyed that possibility for her.

As for Spike... he could remember the broken hearted young man they'd found staggering in an alley. The young man had clearly been from a good, if not wealthy family, and had later shown that he was a well-educated man. He had been a decent, if shy person, and they'd killed him, made him into a ruthless killer. What made it worse in Angel's mind was that it had all been done so that Dru would have a playmate. In his own dark and twisted way, Angelus had cared for them both.

He hoped desperately that he wouldn't have to fight them. They were all the family he had left... He had cared for them then, and he still did. He hadn't seen either of them since the night Darla had brought him a gypsy girl. He had been cursed with his soul, and fled into the night to wallow in guilt and despair. Suddenly, Angel stopped, a thought crossing his mind. How had Dru known about his soul?

While Angel was brooding about his blood stained past, Spike was watching Willow. Granted that he was pretending to be here to listen to the poetry, and he was actually hearing a goodly portion of the poetry and murmured commentary due to his vampire hearing, but that wasn't why he was really here. He was here because Willow was here. She was lovely, and he could see all the expressions crossing her face.

She kept sneaking glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking. He didn't know what she was thinking, but... she kept looking back, and a few times she was blushing when she looked away. He guessed that at the very least, she thought he looked interesting, and she was probably trying to figure him out. She hadn't talked to him, but she hadn't tried to retreat, hadn't gone away from him. She sat there, listening to poetry and sneaking looks at him. He managed not to wince at the current poet, some hopeful guy called Owen, with a poem about a sunshine girl. Reminded him a bit much about the man he used to be.

"He's not completely terrible. He's got it really bad for my friend... Not sure if he's told her yet, but he has all these feelings for her. I know he wrote that poem for her. And, umm quiet now."

Willow's soft voice brought him out of his mental comparison of this Owen and William. She had spoken to him, even if it was apparently in defense of the poet. Had his expression really been that unhappy? Hmmm... he was missing the important point here. She'd spoken to him. That had to be a good sign, if she spoke to him even a little, he could work with that.

"He just reminds me a bit much of this bloke I used to... know. He had a thing for this woman, wrote poetry about her, did the whole admiring from afar thing. He finally got up the nerve to let her know how he felt, and the bi... and she broke his heart. Brought up unhappy memories is all." He didn't want her to be worried that he didn't like being here. He offered a hasty explanation, editing the facts just a bit.

He watched as her eyes widened a bit, clearly thinking about how the poor, heartbroken poet must have felt. She looked interested, and sympathetic. She clearly showed the same generous kind nature that he had so adored in the Willow that he'd met so many years ago. He could also tell that she knew he had very bad opinion of the woman that had broken his... remember, his 'friend's heart.

"Ohhh.. that must have devastated him. Poor guy... holding his heart out to her only to see it crushed... I hope you were a good friend and helped him try to get over it? Ummm..." Willow had looked at him, her expressive eyes full of sympathy for his unfortunate friend. Then, after she'd asked if he'd helped his friend get over it, she seemed to remember that she was shy, and had crimsoned, and looked very intently at the edge of the table.

Oh, things were looking very promising.

End part 11.

Eventually, the poetry session had ended, and the crowd of people started crowding out the doors. Willow simply sat in her chair, waiting. She knew better than to try to push her way through the crowd to get to the exit any time soon. Besides, it was rather nice to sit here with the really attractive guy that she'd probably never see again. Once she left... or he left, depending on how impatient he was, she would probably not see him again. She wanted to savor his company as long as she could, pretending deep inside that he was sitting here with her because he wanted to, not just because all the other chairs were taken.

Eventually, the crowd thinned enough that she had no excuse to linger at the table any longer. Willow carefully stood up, wishing that her legs hadn't fallen asleep at the chair. She smiled tentatively at the guy, hoping that he hadn't just been nice out of boredom. "I guess... umm the poetry's over, I should really be going. It's been... umm it was good to meet you."

Blushing a bright red, Willow ducked her head, and practically scurried away, certain that he would know that she had been having her little fantasies about him, imagining that they had planned to meet, like a date. Imagining that he wanted her. Oh, he would certainly laugh at her if he had any idea of her thoughts, which was why she didn't intend for him to ever find out.

She left the coffee house, intending to just go home. Her parents were away, something about a conference that her mother wanted to attend, and her father wanting a 'romantic getaway'. She shuddered slightly at the thought. It wasn't that she hated her parents, but... one of the last things that she ever wanted to think about was the idea of her parents being romantic and passionate and eeewww. It was enough for her to know in the abstract that it had happened at least once.

Spike watched her leave, her eyes showing so many things. She'd been thinking things she didn't want him to know about again, he could tell from her embarrassed blushing. She was interested, but she didn't have any confidence in herself. She probably couldn't think of any reason why he'd want anything to do with her. To give her the credit she was due, if he was just a mortal guy like he appeared to be, he probably wouldn't notice her charms. He wouldn't appreciate the light of intelligence and curiosity in her eyes, wouldn't know how rare her compassion was. For this, it was better that he wasn't the mortal he seemed to be.

He knew how confident she could be. He remembered the capable woman she had become. He intended to help her become that capable, that confident. She would be his, his beautiful, capable beloved. Spike would make certain that she knew how appreciated she was, how wonderful and delightful he found her. He could take his time with this, act with a patience he seldom showed. Willow was well worth the wait.

He followed her, staying hidden in the shadows. He wanted to make certain that she made it safely to where ever it was she was going. He followed her as she made her way to a moderate sized two-story house, frowning slightly when he saw that the house was all dark. Not even the porch light was on. Wasn't there anyone waiting for her to come home? Nobody that cared if she made her trip safely or where she had been?

Spike had a number of things to ponder on his trip back to the factory. He had seen Willow walking with the slayer through the cemetery the other day. She had gone home to a dark house tonight. He hoped that the slayer wasn't the only person who cared about his Red. She deserved friends, and a caring family, and so much happiness in her life. It was almost looking like having a ruthless vampire interested in her was the best thing in her life right now.

Spike shook his head, thinking that if he kept dwelling on the shortcomings of those around Willow, he would only get himself depressed. Maybe Dru'd had a better night than he had? He could ask her, and then he wouldn't have to wonder what sort of parents just ignored the fact that their lovely teenage daughter had been out until after midnight.

End part 12.

Willow had dreamed pleasantly of her mystery man. Well, he wasn't hers, but... she had dreamed of him, the man that had sat and listened to poetry with her. They'd been really nice dreams, and the memory had helped her through the day at school. No matter how much Cordelia and her flock of minions insulted her, she had still dreamed of the man with the amazing blue eyes. Despite the fact that Xander had been grilling her on would Buffy like this or that, she had dreamed of a handsome dangerous man that had wanted her, in the dreams at least.

She'd been pulled out a bit by the distracted look on Buffy's face in history class. It was the look of something weird had happened, and she was bothered by it. So, Willow had passed her a note, asking what was wrong. Buffy had passed it back with words of a dark haired woman talking to Angel. Further question marks had gotten the information that the woman had been pretty, wearing a long pale gown. She might have been a vampire.

So, after school had ended for the day, Willow found herself in the library, searching through books with Buffy, tying to find a reference to the dark haired woman. Willow managed to get a book out of Giles locked section. It was a history of Angelus, years of observations of him and his family. Carefully, Willow began turning the pages, not really reading the information, just glancing over, looking for any information, like pictures of his former family.

She thought that if the dark haired maybe vampiress had sought out Angel, there had to be a reason for it. She had to have a specific reason to look for him, and Willow thought the most logical explanation would be a past history together. She turned the pages, and found a picture, a dark haired woman in an old fashioned dress. There was a name under it, Drusilla.

"Buffy? I found someone that kinda fits your description: dark hair, pretty. Can you come over here and see if this is her?"

Looking over Willow's shoulder, the blonde Slayer nodded. "Yea, that's her. Who is she? Why was she hanging all over Angel?"

Willow frowned slightly at the possessive tone in Buffy's voice. She didn't know that there was actually something going on between Buffy and Angel. "Her name's Drusilla. According to this, she's a childe of Angelus, and has some psychic abilities including clairvoyance, precognition, and she can hypnotize people if they look into her eyes."

"Right, psychic vampire chic. If I find her, I can slay her." Buffy looked particularly annoyed. She then smiled a bit. "Oh! I have a coffee date with Scott! You can pick up these books, right?" With barely a pause, and certainly no time for Willow to answer, the Slayer beamed. "You're the best, Wills!"

The slayer nearly skipped out of the library, leaving Willow to survey the scattered books with dismay. There were over a dozen of them. Speaking to the empty library, willow sighed. "Right, no problem at all." On an impulse, she kept the book about Angelus and his family to read through later.

Spike spent his time considering how to woo his Willow. He'd never needed to court people as a vampire, and he'd been a dismal failure at that sort of thing as a mortal, hadn't he? Hmm... Willow had seemed to think the whole writing poetry for your lady thing was romantic. Maybe if he... NO! He shuddered at the thought. He wouldn't go down that path again. No more writing bad poems for a woman. There had to be something else he could try.

Thinking intently on the matter, he remembered the more successful courting he'd seen in his mortal days. Sunlit walks in the park - out of the question for him. While he could do moonlight walks, he didn't think someone as shy as Willow seemed to be would be willing to go walking at night with somebody she'd just met. Flowers... well, maybe he could give her flowers. That normally went over well, flowers and pretty trinkets, and hmmm what had Dru always sworn by for a woman? Chocolate. Right, he could give her flowers, and work his way up to chocolates and trinkets.

He'd also listen to her, watch her to see what caught her fancy. It would be good for her to be the one someone listened to for a change. She deserved to have someone in her life. He intended to be that someone. Flowers, chocolates, and his eternal devotion. What more could a woman ask for?

He went to see how things had gone for Dru. She'd gone out seeking her Angel several more times. Maybe if he listened to her efforts, it would give him something else to worry about besides his own. Maybe she could tell him about this soul business while he was there.

End part 13.

Angel spent the weekend nights trying to find the place where Dru and Spike were staying. They had to have a lair in the Sunnydale area, and if he could find it, it might help him know what was going on, why they had come here. There had to be a plan, it couldn't have simply been coincidence that had brought them here, to the Hellmouth, where he had been helping the Slayer, helping Buffy fight danger.

To his frustration, he hadn't found their lair, but he'd run into Drusilla again. They'd spoke a bit, and she'd warned him to beware the dragon, saying that it wanted to eat up his soul. She seemed deeper into herself, less in touch with the normal world than he remembered her being. He wasn't certain what she meant by this talk of a dragon, but perhaps he'd best ask Giles to help him look into the matter just in case.

The weekend passed quickly for Willow, and without anything of particular interest happening beyond her repeated dreams about the man at the poetry reading. She made a mental note to herself to be sure to make it to the Tuesday reading in case he came back, and to try to wear something pretty. Then, she settled onto her bed to daydream about him for a bit, to replay in her head everything about him.

Monday was a typical day at school. Xander was still trying to figure out how to convince Buffy to go out with him. Cordelia was her normal self. Owen gave Buffy a book of poetry to read in an effort to gain more of her attention. Buffy was still all bent out of shape because she had seen Dru again over the weekend, but she hadn't been able to get close enough to try to slay her. It was easy to see that Buffy was jealous. Not only had Buffy seen Dru, she hadn't seen Angel at all over the weekend.

Giles asked her to stay after school, it seemed there was something with the computer he wanted her to help with. Willow thought he probably meant demony research, and didn't want to say so in front of other people. She showed up after school, wandering into the library. Angel was there, talking to Giles in the shadows of his office. The new thing to research must be what brought Angel here, was it a prophecy? Evil nasty thing?

"Giles, Angel... umm hi. You wanted me to help with some research?" She wasn't certain what she could do, but maybe once she found out what the matter was, she could help.

Giles was the first to reply. "Ahh... it seems that someone said something that concerned Angel a great deal. Can you look up dragons on the computer, possibly with a cross reference to eating souls?"

Willow could feel her eyes go wide at Giles words. "Eating a soul? Is that even possible... are there really things out there that can do that?" She moved to the computer and began researching. Every so often, she'd glance over, and she could see Giles and Angel looking through books. Things continued this way for several hours.

"Umm, guys? I'm not finding anything dragony that's supposed to eat or remove souls. Angel, where did you hear this whatever you heard? Maybe it's not a dragon, like the animal, but maybe something using a dragon emblem or something? Maybe someone calling themself Dragon?"

Giles took his glasses of and cleaned them, obviously considering her words. "You may have a point. Dragons have long been used and emblems or symbols of power in many societies around the globe, it's quite possible that the dragon in question could be an insignia."

Angel looked very quiet, and finally spoke. "I heard it from Drusilla. She's... she was one of the favored childer of Angelus, and she has... gifts. She's also a bit insane. The dragon could be a metaphor for someone, and not even the actual danger. She said she her doll told her to come here before the dragon could eat my shiny soul."

Willow thought about that. She knew that Dru was in the area, she'd helped Buffy look her up. "Angel? Maybe the dragon isn't the only metaphor in her words. What if... well, you said that the gypsies gave you back your soul, that that was why you were one of the good guys. Could the dragon eating your soul be a warning that something could beak the soul spell, and you'd be... umm soul-less again?"

Both men looked startled at the idea, and Angel looked pained. Possibly at the idea of losing his soul, possibly at the reminder of why he'd been cursed with it to begin with. Willow could tell that he was brooding again. Giles looked horrified at the thought. Neither of them said that her idea was impossible.

"That's as good a possibility as any other. Dru's not quite all there, and she seems a bit farther from normal than she used to be. I could always try to get her to tell me more if I run into her again." Angel looked worried, and he had every reason to be.

If there was some dangerous creature that would eat his soul, that would have to be painful. If it was some sorcerer or demon called dragon, or using a dragon seal that would do something to his soul, again it would probably hurt and possibly kill him. If it was his soul leaving... maybe Willow had better read that book about Angelus soon.

She sighed. Maybe she wouldn't be able to go to that poetry reading tomorrow after all. And she'd been hoping to see blond and dangerous again. Sometimes, life just wasn't fair.

End part 14.


	2. parts 15 to 28

Giles had kept Willow there for hours, trying to find references to any sort of demon or sorcerer or mythical thing that could affect souls. She'd looked over all sorts of webpages, and hacked into the data-bases of the Council of Watchers. She's had no luck, and they had reluctantly concluded that it had to be some sort of Dru-reference, a metaphor for something else. Giles had decided that he would try to find some information of the actual curse. Perhaps if they knew if it could be broken, if there were any clauses or loopholes, it would give them some idea what to look for.

Willow eventually made her escape from the library, staggering home at a very late hour, more very early morning than late by then. She let herself into the house, and collapsed onto her bed, not even bothering to take off any more than her shoes. Exhaustion claimed her, and she sank into sleep without any protest. If she dreamed, all memory of any fragment was gone in the morning.

School was a blur to her the next day. By the time it was over and Giles told her that she didn't need to help research tonight, the only other thing she could remember was that Buffy was still all cranky about Dru trying to talk to Angel. She managed to get home safely, and drank some juice while trying to work on her homework. She managed to finish the math, but the history defeated her, all the dates swimming together into a confused soup.

Considering how tired she felt, Willow considered the idea of not going to the coffee house. A few hours sleep and everything would be good... Shaking her head slightly, she decided that instead, she'd just go early and have a few coffees to drink instead. Coffee usually made her jittery and hyper, maybe in her current state it would manage to make her wake up? As added incentive, maybe that guy would be there again. That was the final deciding factor. Willow checked in the mirror, wanting to be sure she didn't have juice on her shirt or anything like that. She wore a fuzzy light blue sweater over a pair of faded blue jeans, no juice stains anywhere, good. With that final check, she was out the door headed for the coffee house.

Willow made it to the coffee house early enough that there was a choice of seating available. Buying herself two coffees, she moved to a small table in a little nook, a place that left her out of the main areas. She would still be able to hear the poetry, but it wasn't really a seat for people that wanted to be seen. It was actually a good place to study on the nights that there wasn't poetry readings. She began drinking her coffee, hoping to be awake for the evening, and hoping that he would show up again.

While Giles made determined efforts to learn as much as he could about the curse placed on Angel, he sent Buffy out to patrol, insisting that just because things had been fairly quiet did not mean all was well. He had also pointed out that things usually got quiet right before some powerful evil attempted a large scale plan.

There had been a frustrating amount of argument. Buffy had been hoping to go to the this poetry thing that Owen had mentioned. He was cute, and he seemed to like her, so Buffy had wanted to drop in and spend some time with him. But Giles was insisting that there was something going on, some big evil that had him all worried. She had finally relented, hoping to run into Angel on her patrol.

Buffy was pleased to find Angel lurking in one of the cemeteries. He had the expression that said he'd been brooding again. Buffy smiled at him taking his hand in hers, and smiled. "Hi there. Come here often?"

They had continued Buffy's rounds, although Angel was dwelling on the strange warning from Dru. Buffy was paying much more attention to Angel than watching for dangerous vampires or demons. Every time she was near him, she felt warm inside, and there was this humming feeling in her bones. It had to be love, it had to be a sign that they were perfect for each other.

After a while of walking, with Buffy holding Angel's arm, his other hand resting on hers, they found something a bit more active. Buffy could feel approaching vampires, their presence this irritating feeling, like her bones itched. She could hardly wait to kill them so she could resume her time with Angel.

A group of five minions attacked, young enough that they were reckless, still convinced that they were invincible. They snarled menacingly as they attacked, calling Angel a traitor to his kind, and thinking that Buffy was small enough that she couldn't possibly be a real threat. As they fought the minions, killing them with only minor injuries to themselves, Buffy and Angel's almost happy mood from earlier was broken, crumbling a little more with each punch and dodge.

By the time the last minion fell to the ground in a scattering of dust, Buffy was quite reminded that she was a Slayer. She didn't get to have a normal life, she had to go fight evil. She might not live long enough to find Mr. Right and have little children and a nice yard with flowers. She could be killed by some big evil, and there was a chance that anyone close to her could be injured trying to help her in her fight. Overall, it was a depressing thought. It wasn't helped by Angel's quiet statement.

"You're bleeding."

Looking up at him, she realized that he wasn't quite facing her, instead looking at the scattered dust of the minions. She felt a slight chill of unease when she realized that he could probably smell the blood. One of the more unsettling aspects of his being a vampire. She tried to smile at him. "It's just a little scrape. I'm gonna go home and take care of this and head over to the Bronze. Want to meet me there?"

Buffy smiled at him, and left the cemetery to get ready for the club. She'd patrolled, she'd slain some vampires, why not go dance a little, have some fun? She didn't have forever, why not have some fun while she could?

End part 15.

Angel watched as the last minion fell to dust. With it went the last shards of his little fantasy, that he and Buffy were just a normal, living couple out for a romantic moonlight stroll. He'd been trying to imagine that they were both normal, that she didn't have a destiny that would likely see her dead before twenty, that caused her to fight horrible evil, a destiny that meant he should be her mortal enemy. He'd pretended that he didn't have centuries of blood and pain on his hands, that he had a right to be happy, to try to find love and joy with a golden girl like a breath of sunlight into his dark world. He'd pretended that everything in him didn't tense when she was near him, as if his demon didn't howl for her blood

He could smell her blood right now, rich as fine brandy, laced with power and strength. She'd been eating a bit much sugar again, and could use a bit more iron, but if he tasted her, she would be wonderful... The thoughts reminded him just how human he wasn't, and the words were a soft murmur. "You're bleeding."

He knew she heard him. He could tell from the way she had tensed, just a little bit when he'd spoke. When he'd reminded her that he was a vampire. She'd tried to hide it, saying that she wanted to go dancing, inviting him to meet her there... But he knew that part of her didn't want that, didn't want to be near him. The part of her that made her the Slayer didn't want him anywhere near her, especially when she was bleeding. He watched as she made her retreat, although she'd disguised it well.

He might as well go home now. His almost good mood had been broken, he still had no idea what this dragon that Dru had mentioned was, was it a creature, an emblem, the name someone was using, or most disturbingly, could it be something that would cost him his soul? He shuddered, not from cold but from the thoughts of what would happen if his soul fled his body. He would try to kill Buffy, and torment her and her friends. Partly because it would hurt Buffy, partly because Xander and Cordelia just annoyed him. What about Willow? What would happen to Willow if his demon had free reign and several decades of frustration to burn away? Dismayed by the thoughts of what might happen to the cheerful, innocent redhead, he began his walk home.

He was brooding, both unhappy that Buffy had wanted to get away from him, and troubled by Dru's warnings. He didn't understand them; she hadn't made sense to him. He was certain that her visions had been easier to follow before...

"Hello, my Angel. You don't look very happy. Miss Edith says you've been playing with the taffy girl again. Taffy isn't good for you, it will rot your teeth, and then they will all fall out, and you won't be able to drink anymore." Dru was standing there, in another long pale gown. She was carrying her doll in her arms.

"Dru. Why did you come to Sunnydale, Princess?" He barely realized that he was regaining some of his Irish brogue, reminiscent of his time before. He had the feeling that whatever had brought her here was important, that he needed to know.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at him as if trying to see into his heart, or his thoughts. "It was time to go away, the fairies didn't want to play with us anymore. Then, I heard the little whispers... My Daddy was over the mouth, only you aren't my daddy anymore. Are you still my Angel, not-daddy? Will we have tea and cakes, and the little letters? They come in the little brown bags, and have such pretty colors... red and yellow and green and orange and brown."

Angel frowned, completely baffled by this mention of letters. What could that possibly be? The mouth... she had known he was over the hellmouth? "Dru, how did you know I have my soul back? And what's this about a dragon?"

Dru smiled, and walked over, placing her hands on his shoulder and hip, leaving Miss Edith resting on a tombstone. She began a waltz, leading him through the steps of the dance. "I hear little whispers in my sleep, the ghosts and moon and stars talking about their secrets. It was the little gypsy's granny, she was very cross with you and Mummy, so she did something, something very bad to hurt you both. Mum became very mean, she hurt princess and Spikey. I saw a dragon come along, and eat your shiny soul, and you were very naughty afterwards... You did very bad things, and there was fire and pain. I have to make certain the dragon doesn't eat your soul up."

Angel was trying to make sense of her words. The gypsy's granny... He flashed back to the gypsy girl that he and Darla had killed, and how her clan had cursed him with his soul. Something bad that had hurt him, oh yes, that had been painful. He hadn't realized that anything had happened to Darla as well. It sounded as if he was in danger of either loosing his soul or having it taken or eaten, leaving him evil again. Something about fire and pain that had made no sense. Dru didn't want his soul gone. That was unexpected.

"Dru, why is Spike here with you, what's in it for him?" There had to be something. Did Spike want to take over Sunnydale now that the Master had fallen? Would Buffy have to fight his childe?

Dru giggled, amused at her Angel's worries. "Spikey wants his new princess, the tree. He isn't mine, you know. I only borrowed him for a bit so that he'd be here for her when it was time. Now, it's time."

Angel could only try to puzzle out her words before whatever she was speaking of happened. Spike's princess, a tree. Spike was here to get someone? Spike and Dru weren't together anymore? He was feeling more confused all the time, especially by the way he was feeling so protective of Dru.

End part 16.

Spike wanted to see Willow again. Even if it meant going to poetry readings. He wanted her to be his, to have her charm and caring and passions all for his very own. If it meant going to hear people read poetry, then so be it. She was worth hearing bad poets. He was contemplating her brilliant green eyes when something attacked him. It was large, and green, with scales, and it seemed to want to kill him.

Spike fought back, and here were numerous blows exchanged, dodged or blocked before he finally managed to snap the thing's neck. His lip was spilt open, and his eye was already bruising, and he was certain that there were other bruises forming over his body as well. His leg had been ripped open, leaving him with a limp. His clothing was stained with his own blood and the greenish fluid that had flowed in the veins of his attacker.

Bloody hell, now he had to go change before he could meet Willow at the poetry readings. If he showed up like this... well that would just be a very bad idea. Things should go better if he didn't show up covered in red and green blood. He hurried back to the factory, cursing the green scaled thing and any relatives or descendants it possessed for interfering in his efforts.

By the time he'd returned to the factory and changed into a set of clean clothing, he knew he'd be late. By the time he'd made his way to the coffee shop where the readings was happening, he was almost an hour late. An entire hour.. he was worried that Willow would have given up on him, that she would think he never wanted to see her again. That she could have already left, or that there would be no seats anywhere near her.

He made his way into the building, moving through the people without to much difficulty. He was looking for Willow, and after a few very long minutes, he saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye. He discovered that it was Willow, tucked into this odd little corner, a bit off the normal path of people. He carefully made his way over, and found her at the little table, the second chair empty, and three empty coffee mugs on the table in front of her.

"Hey there, little red. Mind if I sit?" He wanted to see her look at him, wanted her to smile and blush and say that of course he could, or stammer or something.

She looked up, her eyes having this odd look that combined tiredness with jumpiness, and he realized that she had been drinking the coffee in an effort to stay awake. She looked at him, her eyes widening as she noted his split lip and swelling eye, and her mouth formed a silent startled 'oh'. She gestured with her hand, which trembled slightly.

He collapsed into the chair before she could rescind her invitation. She was looking at him, as if trying to puzzle him out, maybe trying to figure out how he'd been injured. There was something he couldn't quite read in her eyes, so many emotions.

"Forgot my manners the other night. I'm Spike. New to the area." He wanted her to like him, to talk to him, and he'd finally realized that he hadn't even remembered to introduce himself to her.

She looked at him, a little half smile on her lips. "I'm Willow. Too many coffees... umm are you English? What happened to your face... oh, that didn't sound nice, umm are you okay?"

Spike grinned a bit, the expression pulling on his lip and making him stop with a small wince. "Ran into some guy... don't know what his problem was, but he decided to try to beat me up. Got a few good hits in, he did. I'm well enough, don't think he'll be bothering me again." Spike edited his story slightly, leaving out the fact that the 'some guy' had been a green demon, and that he didn't think he'd be a problem again because he'd killed him.

She nodded slightly, looking thoughtful at his words. "Umm there's coffee or hot chocholate... tea if you want, I know Giles couldn't manage without his tea, but you aren't Giles, and you didn't even actually say if you were British... and I think I'm babbling again. umm shutting up now." Willow was blushing slightly, looking into her coffee cup as if it held the secrets of the universe.

"Originally British, from London, although I've done a fair bit of traveling. Not to much of a coffee person... you mentioned hot chocolate, do they have the little marshmallows to put in it?" He wanted to answer her questions, to make her talk to him. If she talked with him and enjoyed their talks, she would like him. Seeing her nod, he gave a smirk, "I'll just go get me a cuppa then, how about I take those empties up for you?"

The rest of the evening went fairly well in Spike's opinion. He learned that she hadn't got very much sleep last night, as she'd stayed up late trying to get some research done for a special project at school. She had said that she was sorry if she sounded a bit loopy, it was just not enough sleep and to much caffeine combined in her system. She'd smiled at him, a big, brilliant smile without the reservations and hesitation he'd expected. She was tired, she was less reserved, she was lovely...

He followed her home again, trailing her into the shadows to be certain that she made it home safely. He saw her go in the front door of her house. Spike didn't see her go out the back door, intending to look at the stars. Nor did he have any idea what would happen to her next.

End part 17.

Willow went into her house, her first thought that she should go to bed, she was tired. Then she remembered that there was supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. She let herself out the back door, moving into the back yard and sitting down so that she could watch for the falling stars. She was sitting there, naming the constellations as she waited, when a voice spoke, letting the redhead know that she was not alone in her yard.

"Can you tell me the name of that big bright star over there?" A voice spoke, softly accented, a woman's voice. A voice that Willow had never heard before.

She turned, eyes wide, and looked to see who or what was in her yard. There was an almost familiar dark haired woman in a long pale dress, holding a porcelain doll in one hand, and a small bag of M&M's in the other. A moments startled thought placed where the woman's face looked familiar from. She had seen her picture only a few days ago. "Drusilla?"

Smiling, Dru sat down beside Willow. "I'm glad you know who I am, little tree. You're part of the reason that we came to Sunnydale, you and my not-daddy. He's not the same as he used to be, you know." Dru was looking at Willow, her expression intent.

Willow turned the vampire's words over in her head, part of her wondering if she was going to die. "That bright bluish one is Venus, not actually a star. Umm I was going to watch the meteor shower tonight... your not-daddy... Oh! You mean Angel, because your Sire was Angelus, and now that he has a soul he isn't quite Angelus anymore, so he's not-daddy now?"

Dru grinned, pleased that the tree had understood her so clearly. "Yes. He keeps playing with the taffy girl, but he shouldn't, too much sugar will rot his teeth out. I don't think he's going to listen to me this time, will you help me?"

Willow looked at Dru, trying to decipher this last group of words. "Taffy girl... that Angel plays with... Buffy? You don't want... no, you wouldn't want him with Buffy, I mean she's the Slayer, so she shouldn't really be trying to have this thing with Angel but she says that he looks really good, which I have to admit he does, and so she wants him and really, how many people are going to say no to someone like Buffy, and I know about too much sugar, I tell Xander that all the time, but he's more of the too many donuts and twinkies kind of guy. and I'm babbling now, aren't I?"

Dru laughed, trying to keep all of the tree's words straight and orderly. She couldn't, because they just spilled out, all trying to race away, and only barely connected to each other. She liked the tree already, and knew that she would be very good for Spikey. "Oh... I like you, little tree. Have some of the little letters. Can you help me keep the taffy girl from my Angel? I dreamed of a dragon eating his shining soul, a yellow dragon that lived over the mouth and hunted in the darkness... we mustn't let not-daddy's soul be eaten up by the dragon. Swallowed up in gold and fire... it would be very very bad."

Willow's eyes widened at Dru's words about her not-daddy's soul and the dragon that would eat it up. "A yellow dragon... that hunts over the mouth by night... Do you mean Buffy? Because this is the hellmouth, so that would be the mouth, and she's the slayer so she's supposed to hunt vampires, which of course means nighttime on account of fatal sunburns... but she doesn't eat souls. That would be very bad and wrong and... do souls have calories? What would they taste like anyhow? and umm right, we were agreeing that it would be bad for Angel to loose his soul."

Dru looked at the tree, and they pondered things for a while as the stars fell from the sky. It was a wonderful show, and very pretty. They ate the M&M's, and pointed out particularly impressive falling stars to each other.

Eventually, the stars stopped falling, and Willow went back into the house, trying to think about what Dru's words had meant. Somehow, Buffy was the dragon, but what did the fire and gold mean? It was important, she knew that much...

Sleep claimed her, and she pondered no longer.

End part 18.

Dru had gone back to the abandoned factory where she and Spike were staying. She had talked with the tree, and they had watched stars fall. She'd warned the tree about the yellow dragon, hoping that the tree could help try to prevent disaster. The stars were warning of the terrible things that would happen if her not-daddy's soul was gone. There would be pain and chaos and the night would ring with screams and there would be danger stalking them. There would be fire and pain and horrible agony to her Angel if his soul was gone, and it would be all the sticky taffy girl's fault.

The Tree would be so good for Spike, she was sweet and kind and so good at figuring things out. She would be loyal, and would welcome all of Spike, not just the darker parts like mummy had done. She liked to eat the little letters, and she watched the stars, and she had such strength inside of her. People could trust her, and she would help them, wouldn't turn away from them. Little Tree had promised to try to prevent the nasty dragon from eating up her angel's soul.

Dru found Spike pacing and muttering when she got back. He was concerned about how to win the tree's heart for his own, and wasn't certain if the tree liked him or not. Silly Spike, of course the tree liked him. He was also worried about the nasty Slayer, and wanted to make certain that she didn't find them. He had reason to fear, the moon had told her that the dragon wanted to swallow her up, burn her until there were only ashes and memories left. Nasty dragon was jealous that she'd talked to the shining Angel...

She then realized that her Spike, her knight in tarnished armor had been injured, and she fussed over his eye and his leg, asking if he'd had someone nicely healthy to eat afterwards. How was he supposed to keep her safe, or keep his tree safe if he was injured? She knew that he'd wanted to keep things secret from the tree for now, wanted to keep it a secret that he could only play in the darkness. Dru wondered how long the secret would stay hidden before the little tree heard it's voice whispering in the shadows.

Willow woke up, and her eyes had the slightly gummy feeling of insufficient sleep. She had gone to listen to the poetry, hoping to see the mystery man, who turned out to be named Spike. Then, she had watched the meteor shower with Dru...

Upon realizing that she had spent a few hours last night talking with the insane vampiress that Buffy was currently trying to kill, Willow sat up and almost fell out of bed. Dru, vampire, insane and psychic... Dru had been the warning about Angel's soul, they had talked about that last night, she knew they had. There had been something very very important in their discussion last night... not the m's or the names of stars... they had talked about her not-daddy who lived on the mouth. She had said who the dragon was... if only Willow could remember.

As she showered and brushed her teeth, she wracked her brain, trying to remember everything about her talk with Dru last night. Dru had actually seemed pretty nice, and not completely incomprehensible at all. She had said that she warned Angel about the taffy girl, which was Buffy. She had talked about her doll, Miss Edith, and how Miss Edith told her secrets about the future.

She had said that the yellow dragon guarded the mouth, and hunted by night. The mouth was the hellmouth... which meant that the yellow dragon was Buffy. Willow smiled, pleased that she had remembered that as she got dressed. Dru had said she had seen the yellow dragon eat her not-daddy's soul in fire and gold. Willow was still a bit uncertain as to what the fire and gold part could mean, but she was pretty certain that Dru meant that somehow, Buffy would do something and somehow be responsible for Angel loosing his soul, which Dru thought would be bad. She really needed to see Giles as soon as possible. He definitely needed to get a copy of the curse, they needed to know if there were any clauses or loopholes or expiration dates of some sort.

She made her way to school early, hoping that she could talk to Giles about it. Maybe Miss Calendar could help? She was a techno pagan, and had all sorts of magical people that she had connections to online, that was how she'd helped with Moloch. Willow had a feeling that she could be a great help trying to find information on Angel's soul curse. Dru was afraid the dragon would eat Angel's soul in fire and gold, and Willow had a feeling that there was only so much time before that happened. She felt it was urgent to know all they could before that time, hopefully they could prevent the dragony gold fire thing from happening.

End part 19.

Giles was a bit startled when Jenny Calander came into the library just before school on Wednesday. He rather enjoyed seeing her, in fact, they had been tentatively dating, a few weekend picnics, a music concert... the woman had dragged him to see monster trucks. There was definitely an element of the unpredictable to her. But, she looked like she was here for a purpose. He wanted to know what that purpose was.

"Jenny? What brings you to the library? Not that you aren't perfectly welcome or allowed... err..." Giles' surprise at her presence made him ask, and then he stammered as the question fell awkwardly into the library.

Smiling slightly, the dark haired woman answered. "Willow. She said there was a particularly... hmm... shall we say a particularly interesting research topic you were working on and she thinks I might be of some assistance."

Nodding, Giles murmured "Of course, yes, why didn't I think of it... you would have those connections with those people online..." He waved her over towards his office, and gestured to the teapot, offering her a cup. "There seems to be a possible threat of some sort to Angel's soul. We were hoping to find out what was going on and if there was some particular clause or loophole in the spell."

Jenny froze, her eyes going wide and her face pale as Giles words soaked into her mind. "A threat to his soul? From what?"

Giles gave a slight shrug, indicating that he wasn't certain, and frowned into his teacup. "We haven't been able to determine that."

Willow walked in, her eyes still dark ringed from not getting enough sleep. "Actually I had a few thoughts on that. I think we need to look into the spell... curse... ritual thingy that was originally used to anchor his soul to him. Angel said that he heard about the possible threat from Dru, the psychic childe of Angelus, his evil umm previous self. He said she doesn't always say what she means in a way someone else would understand. So... umm I thought maybe it might mean something happening to break the spell. So... umm we need to get as much information on and about it as we can, so we can look for loopholes, conditional clauses, expiration dates... if then else statements... oh, that's computers, sorry... umm I hope you get the idea?"

Giles had heard Willow's theory before. It had made as much sense as any other possibility when attempting to decipher the words of a madwoman. He was already pulling the books that he thought might have some useful information, and muttering to himself that spells and mystical clauses should be a bit easier to find than dragons.

Jenny looked at Willow, and whispered "Dragons? What's that about?" She then moved towards the computer, and spoke a bit louder, pitching her voice so that Giles would hear. "I don't know how much luck I'll have, but I can try a few sources to try to get some information."

Willow had grabbed a book, and sat near the computer. Looking at her teacher, she explained. "Angel said that Dru talked to him. He said she had said her doll, umm apparently she thinks her doll talks to her, anyhow her doll had warned her to come here before the yellow dragon ate his shiny soul. We were pretty worried about that statement."

Jenny spoke again, considering Willow's words. "If this Dru person listen to her doll, why are we so worried?"

Willow lifted a book, yet another Watcher's journal in reply. "According to this, she's not just crazy, she's psychic. She can see things before they happen, and find things that she shouldn't be able to find. So, the psychic vampire says that something could take Angel's soul away. We, naturally, want to find out what this something is so we can keep it from happening."

Jenny nodded, her mind following possibilities already. "That makes sense I suppose. I'll try to get what I can about the soul curse. If there's any sort of weak point in it, or a clause of some sort, it would be best to know before it..or he bites us."

The research continued, with serious effort going into tying to find anything that would give a hint about what might cause Angel to be parted from his soul. Willow was also considering her talk with Dru, which she knew Giles would consider an extremely foolish and dangerous thing to have done. The dark haired vampire hadn't even looked like she was considering hurting her though. She had said that Angel was part of the reason she'd come to Sunnydale, no, wait, Dru had said we. She hadn't come alone, and Willow didn't think that she'd simply meant Miss Edith. So, Dru had someone with her, probably another vampire or vampires. It might be good to know who else had come to Sunnydale, and what the other reason was.

End part 20.

Willow had eventually had to go to class, and while she went to learn about geometry and biology and struggle through gym class, Giles continued searching through books, and Jenny continued to try to persuade people online. They were searching for anything that could help. Giles had found a book that discussed assorted shortcomings of other gypsy spells, and he was searching through it in hopes that it would give an idea what sort of thing to look for with the soul curse. He was simply appalled by some of the dreadful clauses and conditions that had been placed in some of these spells.

Jenny was attempting to convince her uncle to send her a copy of the curse. She had told him there was a prophecy that might mean the curse would be broken, which would be a terrible thing, especially for the Kalderash clan. If it could be averted, was it not worth that chance?

She was hoping that the curse could remain intact, and that no-one would have to learn that she wasn't who she'd claimed to be. That nobody would learn that her real name was Janna Kalderash, and that she had been sent to make certain that Angelus continued to suffer. She had come here to watch him, to make certain the curse held and his existence was torment, but... didn't that mean the curse had to stay in effect? How could he suffer if the spell was broken? Nor did she think it meant she wasn't allowed to try to find some semblance of happiness, which she thought she might have a chance for with Giles.

She had also gotten the strangest impression that Willow had been hiding something. That she had somehow known more than she was telling. But that was a ridiculous idea, not only was Willow terrible at keeping secrets, how would she have learned anything about this anyhow? Walked up to the insane vampire and asked her? The idea was absurd. Obviously, she had been spending to much time worrying about her own secret, she was suspecting everyone of hiding things now.

No, she was much more concerned about the fact that Buffy was having this odd sort of almost relationship with Angel. Buffy was a Slayer, it was her chosen destiny to fight evil, to kill demons and vampires, not take them to dances and go to movies with them. Angel had a horribly bloody past, how could he make Buffy happy? Did he even deserve a chance for happiness with the blonde girl? The part of her that was loyal to her family was most insistent that he should never have a chance at happiness, should never know a moments peace. The part of her that was Jenny Calander, a computer teacher that Angel had saved, wasn't so certain. Angel with his soul seemed like a decent enough person, for a vampire. Why did his whole existence need to be an agonizing torment?

There was something nagging at her mind though, something from the stories that her grandmother, now no longer among them, had once told her. Gran had told stories of the clan's history, of their powerful workings and their cunning exploits. There had been something that she had said about the cursing of the vampire Angelus. Something about... how had it gone? 'Cursed with his soul, that his every moment be agony and pain for him', yes, those had been her words. How would the spell insure that every moment was agony? What would happen if for just a moment, Angel wasn't in pain and torment?

Something deep inside, her magic or intuition perhaps, had a feeling that there was trouble here. That this warning about Angel's soul was serious, that it was an effort to prevent disaster. That if they couldn't prevent it, there would be horrible things to come. She also had the feeling that the whole 'eternal torment' thing was part of it. If there was something about Angel being in eternal torment, would his experiencing a moment where he wasn't in torment break the spell? Could it be that simple?

She began to pray that it wasn't, especially when she considered some of the glances that Buffy had been giving Angel. The vampire was handsome, even Jenny had to admit that, and Buffy had feelings for him. Buffy had passionate teenage feelings and desires, and one of them was to not see the vampire that she cared for suffering.

She needed to read the spell, to learn if there was something so simple in the wording. If the spell could be broken that easily... there had to be something that could be done. Some way to fix it, change the wording... maybe anchor the soul independently of the curse, so that even if the curse was broken, he wouldn't become evil again? hmm that sounded like a good thing to work on, especially with the possibility that his soul could be... separated from him. She shivered at the idea.

End part 21.

Willow knew that she should be focusing on her geometry. She should be paying attention to her classes, and not thinking about her talk with Dru while they watched the meteor shower. But her mind kept turning back to last night. Both the poetry reading where she'd sat with Spike, yes, she had finally learned his name, and her talk with Dru. Dru was definitely a bit loopy, but not that bad, certainly she was no harder to understand than Harmony or Cordelia could be at times. Dru had seemed rather friendly. She had acted like Willow was her friend, and had asked for Willow to help her try to keep Angel and Buffy apart.

Part of Willow agreed with the dark haired vampiress: The Slayer and a vampire together was just all sorts of wrong. Another part of her, the part that was Buffy's friend didn't want to try to break up her friend's sort of relationship. But... if Buffy was the yellow dragon that would eat Angel's soul, that meant that it would be very bad for them to stay together. The whole thing was making Willow's head hurt. She decided that as a compromise, she would try to push Buffy towards Scott or Owen, at least until they could find more on Angel's curse.

Buffy would probably be just as happy with Scott or Owen as she was with Angel, probably happier since she wouldn't accidentally hurt them with her cross if they got to close. Besides, didn't she always say that she just wanted a normal life? No offense towards Angel, but dating a 242 year old vampire was NOT normal. Scott was pretty normal, and Owen was also pretty normal, in a shy poet sort of way. If it hadn't been so obvious that he had a thing for Buffy, and for the fact that she couldn't talk coherently to boys, she might have considered trying to have coffee or something with Owen.

Owen wasn't on her mind anymore though. Neither was Xander, whom she'd had a crush on forever. Her dreams were filled with Spike now. He was handsome, sexy and mysterious, and he had the whole bad boy rebel image going. He was definitely worth starring in a few dreams, although he would surely have someone of his own, someone just as interesting and attractive as he was. Willow was certain that his whole dangerous impression wasn't all show, he had the feeling of danger about him, and there was something about his eyes... they seemed older than his face. Kind of like Angel's did, or like Dru's had last night.

Willow suddenly felt a cold suspicion flow through her, leaving her feeling chilled and completely awake. Could Spike be a vampire? She had only seen him twice, and both times were after dark, but that wasn't enough to go on. Yes, he was pale, but not everyone went to beaches and courted sunburn, she didn't and she wasn't a vampire. Maybe she should try to read some more of that book on Angelus after school tonight.

She left the researching to Giles and Jenny..umm, Miss Calander. She was certain that they wouldn't mind the time alone, they seemed to have their own sort of relationship going on. They could use the time together. She had a vampire to read up on. There would be more about Dru, and she might even find something about the curse in there as well.

She went home, going up to her empty room in her empty house. She sat down, and pulled the book out from under her dresser. She continued reading about Angelus. The more she read the more she understood why it would be bad for him to lose his soul. He had been ruthless, arrogant. He'd left a trail of death and destruction as he'd traveled with his Sire, Darla. Willow was startled to recognize Darla as the blond vampire that had been dressed as a Catholic school-girl during the harvest. Hadn't Buffy said that Angel had killed her? Staked her in the back with a pool cue? That had to have been..harsh.

She found the point where he'd turned Dru. She read how Angelus had slaughtered her family and chased her to a convent, how he'd slaughtered the nun's and turned Dru inside the convent sanctuary, as if mocking the power of God. How he'd broken her mind, and left her unstable, claiming that the moon sang, and the stars spoke to her.

It was enough to give person nightmares, and she understood how the Watcher's Council had been so afraid of him. Angel wasn't anything like that, not in any important ways at least. He didn't torture people to death for annoying him, he wasn't feasting on the blood of people, leaving death and chaos at all the high class social events. Yes, he was handsome, and intelligent, but... he wasn't the same as Angelus. Thankfully.

Willow turned the page, reading about how there was tension between Darla and Angelus and Dru. Apparently, Darla had been jealous of the time Angelus had spent with his childe. The answer to this had been... oh dear, they had turned found someone, and Angelus or Dru had turned the young man to be Dru's playmate. His name had been William Exeter, and there was a picture and a brief description. He'd been an aspiring poet, of a decent family and well educated. The picture looked almost familiar.

Willow pulled out a sheet of typing paper, and carefully traced over the shape of William's face. She didn't draw in his wire framed glasses, and made his hair very short and pale, instead of what was probably light brown. Something was teasing at her mind. She put a simple collar on the picture, like a tee shirt would have, and darkened in the section that would be the shirt. She then very carefully put a small scar over his eyebrow, and looked at the resulting picture.

Spike's face was on the paper, looking thoughtful, the very same expression he'd had before he'd told her about his friend, the broken hearted poet.

End part 22.

Willow sat there for a long time thinking. Spike was a vampire. Spike was William, who was either the childe of Dru or Angelus, the book had been unclear on that. He'd had a history with Dru, and probably with Darla and maybe even Angelus. He was a soulless vampire, and he was here in Sunnydale, probably with Dru. Possibly involved with Dru. How could she compare to that? She'd met Dru, and the woman... vampire... Dru was lovely. Probably also strong and passionate as well. Darla was dead, so she wouldn't be competition... assuming that there was even a chance that Spike was interested.

What was she to him? Was she a distraction? Some sort of game to amuse himself? She didn't want to think that, he'd seemed like he'd enjoyed talking to her, like he wanted to spend time with her. He hadn't threatened her, or tried, well, anything at all with her. Maybe he could be interested in her... or maybe she was deluding herself because of a hopeless crush on a sexy dangerous stranger.

Willow sighed to herself. Things were getting very complicated. What was she certain of? First off, Dru was a vampire. She'd talked with Dru, and thought the vampiress had seemed pretty nice. Dru was Angelus' childe and didn't want Buffy with Angel. Buffy and Angel had this whole complex thing going. She thought that Spike was incredibly sexy. She was worried about Dru. She was worried about the idea that Angel could lose his soul. Angelus was described as very bad and dangerous. She was getting a headache trying to figure this all out.

Willow flopped over on her bed, pulling the pillow over her face. She didn't know what was going on. Spike was probably a vampire. He might be plotting some sort of game involving her, or maybe just maybe he liked her. She definitely liked Spike so far. Dru was saying that the dragon would eat Angel's soul, and that Buffy was the dragon. Buffy wanted to kill Dru because Dru had talked to Angel. Scott and Owen both had things for Buffy. Buffy didn't like being the Slayer because she wanted a normal life. Her thoughts were going around and around in her head, leading her nowhere.

She sighed, knowing that the whole mess wouldn't go away if she ignored it. She couldn't do anything about Buffy being the Slayer and wanting a normal life. She could make certain that Buffy knew that Scott and Owen, both fairly normal human guys were interested. She could try to learn if there was some clause that might let Angel's soul go away. She might run into Dru again, and then she could ask if it was something the gypsies did that would let the dragon eat the soul of her Angel. As for Spike... she would just have to see if she ran into him again. She didn't know if she wanted to see him again because of her feelings for him or hoped not to see him again in case it was all some plot or diversion so that he could kill the Slayer. Well, that wasn't quite true. The truth was that she both wanted to run into him because she was interested and was afraid that it was all a game to him.

She really hoped that he might actually like her, even if only a little. Even if it was too much to hope that he might dream about her the way she was dreaming about him. She could admit to herself that she was having improbable lusty thoughts about Spike. Even if he was a vampire, she was still having her naughty thoughts. She would just have to see what developed, and if he made any efforts to either use her against Buffy or to hurt her, or if he made any efforts to let her know about the possibility that he was a vampire.

Buffy had once told her to try the philosophy of Carpe Diem - Seize the Day, because you never know what tomorrow would bring. Well, it hadn't worked very well then, but she intended to try again. She was going to see how things turned out with Spike, vampire or not. After all, Buffy had no room to talk if he was, because Angel was a vampire himself. Right... she would have to see what Spike did, if he was a vampire, if he was involved with Dru... if he could possibly want his very own Willow.

She fell asleep at a reasonable time that night, and dreamed of vampires. She dreamed of the horrible things Angelus had done. She dreamed of Dru, asking her to keep her not-daddy safe from the dragon that wanted to eat his soul in fire and gold. She dreamed of Spike... dreamed of him as a vampire, rejecting her for Dru, dreamed of him killing her, dreamed of him taking her as his own in scenes that would have been too heated, too steamy for even the trashiest romance novel. She even dreamed that he wasn't a vampire at all, just a pale skinned British guy... that still wanted her. She dreamed many things, all focused either on the book she had been reading, or on the events of the past few nights.

End part 23.

Willow had nothing of particular interest on Thursday at school. There was a quiz in biology, and she had a study group during lunch so she could help some of the other students with the geometry. One of the football players, a big guy named Keifer slipped her a Hershey bar as a thank you for the tutoring. He was actually a much nicer guy than he wanted people to know, and very grateful that she was willing to help him pass his class. He also had a girlfriend at another school.

No, the part of the day that Willow was looking forward to was the poetry reading at the Espresso Pump. She enjoyed the poetry, even if she didn't have anywhere near the confidence to read things in front of an audience, or a talent for poetry for that matter. Spike might be there as well.

Spike fully intended to be there. He wanted to spend time with Willow, wanted her to like him. Maybe he could ask if she had any plans for the weekend, he could suggest something... Dru was smiling, like she knew a secret. As Spike was searching for his other boot, he noticed that smile, and for some reason, it was worrying him.

"Dru? What's the smile about, ducks? The stars tell you about something interesting? Tea party go well?" He wasn't certain he'd like the answer, but he had always been curious, possibly too curious.

Dru smiled at him. "I have help to keep the taffy girl away from my not daddy. She promised to try to keep the dragon from eating his soul... We watched the stars and ate the little letters." Suddenly, Dru paused, and looked puzzled by something. "Spike, what's a Twinkie?"

Spike froze, wondering where Dru had gone. He had a feeling that it was important. Who or maybe he should ask what had she been talking to? Where had Twinkies come into things? "Twinkies are these little snack things, with a cream filling... probably rot your teeth out." He frowned, wondering where his boot could have gone. "Dru, have you seen my boot around here?"

"It's hiding over there, under the pipes. I found a fire fairy last night, and we watched the stars fall. She's nice. Go listen to the poetry, I promised tea and cakes for Nancy and Cathy." Dru smiled at her Spikey. He felt worried about the tree, and wanted her to spend time with him this weekend.

Spike pulled his boot out from under the piping, shook it to make certain it was empty and put it on his foot. Dru had talked to 'a fire fairy' about her not daddy and his soul. She said the fairy would help with the taffy girl... the Slayer? How would this fairy help with the slayer? Did he really need to worry about that when he could think of Willow instead? Maybe he should try to think of how to keep Willow from learning that he was a vampire and running for the Slayer to stake him. Hmm not getting staked was always a good thing.

Shrugging a gray striped button up shirt over his tee shirt, Spike left the area they'd converted to living quarters. His thoughts were focused on Willow: the sparkle in her green eyes, the shine of her red hair, her smooth pale skin, the delicious way that she looked when she blushed. He paused to grab a small, brown wrapped package from a piece of machinery as he left to go see her. It was Thursday; there would be another poetry reading.

He was trying to deny it, but in a little corner of his mind, there were verses forming, comparing the sparkle of Willow's eyes to fine emeralds, comparing her smile to the light of the sun. She was so... Willow, and there was something about her that made him want to pick up a pen and try to write poetry praising her virtues and beauty. He was doing his best to pretend that that little corner of his mind had left with his heartbeat. So far, his willpower was losing, but at least he hadn't wrote any of it down, yet.

It would be far safer to stick with presents. Gifts of actual objects, flowers, chocolate.. tonight, he was taking her a small bag of coffee, a nice gourmet flavor with a hint of almond, the same thing she'd been drinking Tuesday. If he gave her things, she would know he was interested, but it wouldn't expose his bad verses. He wouldn't be risking quite as much potential embarrassment. Sighing, he had to admit that Willow was making him feel emotions he hadn't experienced since he'd been alive. He was longing for her; admiring her... he was petrified that she'd reject him, for one of a number of reasons. Maybe she didn't like bad boys, maybe he scared her, maybe she didn't like blond, maybe she had someone - no, he'd heard her talking to the Slayer, she didn't have anyone. Maybe she'd find out what he was and run screaming... he was nervous, and worried about how she would react. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Right, there was the local coffee house, and with luck, Willow would be inside. Probably tucked out of the main area again. He squared his shoulders, telling himself that he was Spike, he was the big bad, he didn't get nervous. With that mantra going through his mind, he entered the building.

End part 24.

Willow was sitting at the same little table that she'd been at on Tuesday, when Spike had actually told her his name. She wanted to see him again, and wasn't certain what he wanted from her or with her. Not that she hadn't entertained a few fantasies answering those questions, but seriously... why was he in Sunnydale? He was attractive, and interesting and yeah, she definitely wanted him. Willow tried to make herself think logically about the matter, instead of going off along naughty tangents.

So... if he talked to her again, if he seemed interested... what should she do? Well, she definitely was interested, so she wanted to spend time with him. Maybe she could suggest something for them to do? What could she suggest... suddenly, a thought occurred to Willow, and the resulting smile was full of mischief. He wanted to pretend that he was human? Let's act like he's human... she would suggest a normal daytime get together, like a lunch picnic... at the beach. It should be interesting to see how he reacted to that one.

She was watching the entrance, hoping that he would show up. Now that she actually had a plan... oh, please let him show up... and want to sit with Willow. She noticed that there were some empty seats tonight; he wouldn't have to sit with her if he didn't want to. Oh, what if he'd only sat with her because she'd had the only empty seat? What if he didn't want to spend time with her after all? What if...

Spike came into the coffee house, carrying a small brown package, something wrapped in brown paper. He glanced around the room, as if looking for something..maybe someone? He located Willow, and she could feel his eyes on her, could tell from here just how blue they were. Hesitantly, Willow lifted her hand in a shy little wave. Smiling, Spike made his way over to her table, and sat in the empty chair across from her.

"Evening Willow. I brought you a prezzie." With those words, he slid the package across the table towards Willow.

Willow was astonished. Not only did he want to sit with her, he was bringing her a present? She could hardly wait to open it... she hardly ever got presents from anyone. Glancing shyly at him to see if it was okay, Willow slid her finger under the tape, carefully separating the tape from the paper and beginning a slow process of unwrapping. He was watching her, with a smile as she opened his present. There was a hint of something else in his eyes, not confident at all, something..almost nervous? That had to be her imagination, why would he be nervous?

Carefully opening her present, she found a half-pound bag of the almond coffee that she'd been drinking Tuesday. He'd actually noticed what type of coffee she was drinking. He'd given her some of the coffee as a present... he was watching her, waiting. She blushed slightly, and looked up to his blue eyes. "Thank you, it's my favorite."

Spike grinned at her, looking considerably less nervous, if he'd actually been nervous to begin with. He looked a bit more relaxed in his seat. "So... got any plans for the weekend?"

Willow blinked a moment in surprise. He was asking..was he asking her out? Oh, wow... he was asking her out! Wait... plan, she had a plan. Smiling shyly, Willow answered him. "I was planning to go to the beach for lunch on Saturday, at about one... but other than that, I didn't have anything in mind."

She was watching him carefully, trying to determine what sort of interest he had. Was it 'I want a snack' interest, or 'I want a girlfriend' interest? He gave a small shudder at her mention of lunch at the beach. She wouldn't have noticed it unless she'd been watching for a reaction. So, she had been right. Spike was William that had been turned to be with Angelus' childe Dru. He was a vampire..he definitely wouldn't want lunch at the sunny beach. What would he do now? How would he respond? Would he make an excuse? Maybe he'd suggest something else they could do together?

Spike looked thoughtful at her suggestion. "Much as I'm tempted, I have to pass on lunch at the beach. I need to get my car worked on, and the only spot they had open... well, I can't make a one-ish lunch date. Hmm there's a little public concert thing on the beach at about nine in the evening, some local bands... I should be able to pick you up and we could go to that, if you'd like?"

Willow beamed with delight. He did want to go out with her! And okay, vampire, but still... he was gorgeous and interesting, and he seemed to like her. Maybe he hadn't come out and told her yet, but... she'd give him time. After all, that probably wasn't the best way to start a relationship, telling the other person that you were an undead blood drinking person that would spontaneously combust in the sunlight. He was watching her, and Willow realized that she hadn't answered him. "Umm the concert sounds good. Shall I meet you here, and then we can go to the concert?"

"Sounds like a plan. Now, I have no idea if these bands are any good... but I thought maybe... we could go find out. I'll pick you up here at 8:30?"

End part 25.

Friday's classes dragged on for Willow. Buffy was feeling excited, and kept telling her how exciting her plans were, how happy she was. Scott had asked her out, and they were going to go to a little restaurant for dinner and then a concert tonight at the beach. Willow got to hear all about that news in exhaustive detail, on several occasion through the day. Willow had encouraged this, mentioning that Buffy had said that she wanted a nice normal guy. She had made a few remarks about how nice it would be for Buffy to have a nice normal dinner with a guy for once.

It wasn't until she had her computer class that the potential danger of Buffy's plans occurred to Willow. There was only one concert at the beach tonight. Scott was taking Buffy to it, but.. Spike was also taking Willow. Would Buffy sense Spike, try to do something about Willow being there with a vampire? Maybe there would be to many people, and Buffy either wouldn't sense him or would be unable to pinpoint who the vampire was? She was certain that it would be bad to hope for some sort of demony diversion to keep Buffy from interrupting Willow's date.

Her best hope was that Scott would keep Buffy so occupied that she wouldn't have time to investigate some odd feeling from that way in the crowd. Hmmmm would she have to try to keep Spike away from Buffy? If he was trying to hide his vampirism from her, he should want to avoid contact with the slayer, but if his whole goal was to use Willow to get close enough to hurt Buffy... she would find out soon enough. A sudden thought made her frown in curiosity... did Spike know that Buffy was the slayer? Most vampires and demons seemed to have no trouble identifying her, but...

Well, she would find out how to keep Buffy and Spike separated soon enough. Scott would probably help keep Buffy focused, purely by wanting to stay with her. Hopefully, Spike would stay with her, not try to fight Buffy... or eat the other concert goers. All she had to do now was figure out what to wear to the concert.

Across town, Dru was amused. Spike had talked to the little tree, and come back muttering about beaches and picnics and concerts. Was there going to be another lovely concert with all the smiling funny tasting people? Spike had eaten one of them once, and spent hours watching his hand with this odd smile on his face. They had done silly things, and so had anyone that ate them. Do not eat the flower's children for vegetables are not good for vampires.

Spike was taking the little tree to concert tonight. He hadn't told her why he didn't want to play on the sunny beach. Spike was trying to hide his other face from her, to keep her from knowing all of him. She didn't think it would work for very long, the tree was very smart.

Miss Edith was whispering to her. Whispering that the taffy girl had caught a boy in her stickiness. This boy was trying to impress the taffy girl, and he was taking her away for the evening. For a moment, Dru wondered why Miss Edith was telling her this. Why did it matter if the taffy girl had another boy caught in her thrall? Then, she realized that if the taffy girl and her boy were away, she could go find her Angel. She could talk to her angel without having to hide from the taffy girl that wanted to kill her.

Dru laughed in delight. Spike was taking the little tree to hear the music, and the taffy girl would be away from not-daddy. She could talk to him safely, and maybe... hmmm if she knew that the taffy girl wouldn't be able to interrupt, maybe she could actually make her not-daddy listen to her. He kept trying to disappear when she talked to him. At this rate, she would have to hit him on the head and chain him down to make him listen to her. Her daddy would have liked that, but he would have been very angry with her for hitting him. But he wasn't her daddy anymore, he was an angel now, with a shiny soul and everything...

Yes, Spike would take his tree to the concert, and maybe they would talk. The tree would feel better if she knew that Spikey wanted her for his very own. The poor boy would be with the sticky taffy girl. Dru shivered at the idea of anyone wanting to spend their night with the sticky taffy. Best of all, she could go talk to her Angel in safety, because the dragon wouldn't be hunting for her. Tonight would be good.

End part 26.

Finally, it was time for Willow to go to the Espresso Pump to meet Spike. They had made plans to go to the concert. After what had felt like hours of debate, Willow had settled on a light green sundress that had a print of little leaves over it. She had added a pair of small gold hoop earrings, and a gold chain with a small locket that she'd been given for her birthday one year. It had a willow tree engraved on it's front, and was designed to hold two small pictures inside. It didn't have any pictures in it, but she had always liked it. After a bit more debate, she had left her hair loose.

She was now waiting for Spike, sitting at a little table, right by the window. If he showed up, he would see her sitting there. Willow had arrived there a bit early, which gave her plenty of time to worry and think of all the things that could happen, if he showed up, and all sorts of reasons why he might not show up, ranging from Buffy found and dusted him, to he has a girlfriend (like Dru), to the idea that he'd never intended to be here in the first place.

She was pondering what to do if it had all been a cruel joke when there was the squeal of brakes outside, catching the attention of many people. Someone was definitely not a safe and considerate driver, and they were close to here. Glancing out the window, Willow saw an older car, black, with the windows spray painted black, and parked - or at least stopped, at an angle, the front right tire actually up on the curb. It looked as if whoever had been driving had narrowly missed hitting the parking meter. The driver's side door opened, and Spike stepped out, looking completely unconcerned about the shocked looks he was getting from several people.

Willow smothered a giggle, and stood up from her seat. Still trying not to laugh, she walked out the door, ready to go to the concert. "Hi Spike. Umm, you certainly made an entrance..."

Spike looked at her, and simply stood there for a few moments before speaking. His blue eyes had widened at the sight of her, and his gaze didn't waver from her. After a few moments of standing there, watching her, he held out his hand, speaking to her. " 'Ello Red. You look marvelous tonight. Let me give you a hand here..."

In a manner befitting a gentleman, Spike held out his arm and escorted Willow to the passenger side of his car, and he opened the door for her, so that all she had to do was sit down in the car. Willow was still smiling, but had managed to stop her half smothered giggles. He then carefully shut the car door for her, and glared at the still gaping crowd. "What, none of you ever saw someone pick up a lady for a date? It's rude to stare, you bloody pillocks."

That said, he went around to the drivers' side, and hopped into the car, flashing a smile at Willow, who had carefully fastened her seatbelt. "Seatbelt, Red? Should I be insulted?"

Willow blushed at his question. "Umm I heard you... park your car. I thought maybe it might be good to have the seatbelt on... maybe prevent the evening from being cut short by whiplash?"

Willow could feel her face warm as she blushed. For the millionth time, she wished that she didn't blush so easily. As and alternative to watching Spike watch her blush, she looked at the floor of his car. She hadn't been certain what to expect from the outside of the car, but she'd been a bit nervous. The floor was surprisingly uncluttered. There was a box full of music tapes, and she could see some of the name of the artists on them. Sex Pistols, Billy Idol, something with a dark red paper and no visible words... Curious, she opened the lid a bit more, looking to see what else he had. There were more tapes, from a great variety of people: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, one by Elvis Presley, someone called ChumbaWumba, a few names that she didn't recognize, Beethoven, Bach, Madonna, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Poison, Def Leopard.

"So... umm the concert at the beach. Shall we, y'know, umm go to the beach now?" Willow looked up from her examination of the tape box, still blushing. She smiled, trying to look confident about the situation.

"Right... concert at the beach... that was what we were planning on doing this evening." Spike had this little smirk on his face. Still wearing that smirky little grin, he started the car, and backed away from the coffee shop.

Willow realized with sudden worry that she couldn't see out the windows because of the spray paint. He'd probably done it to keep the sunlight out, but.. oh dear. Maybe it would be best not to see out the windows as he drove. The engine roared as he headed off, presumably to the beach. Willow hoped that she wouldn't get carsick from Spike's driving.

End part 27.

Spike was half certain that this could only be a dream. He'd been pleased when Willow had let him talk her into a Friday evening concert instead of a Saturday afternoon picnic, but this wasn't quite what he'd expected. He'd gone to pick her up, driving with his usual unconcern for normal traffic patterns and the mental state of anyone watching him. He'd arrived at the coffee shop, and she'd stepped outside. The sight of her... she looked glorious. Dressed in this flowing little dress that hinted at her curves without actually showing more than a hint of cleavage. Her skin was pale and smooth...her eyes were gleaming, although it had been with amusement at his arrival. Her long red tresses and a necklace that fell just below her collarbones were the only concealment for her throat, and it was a lovely throat indeed. Pale smooth skin over a slender column, her pulse easily discernable... she looked amazing, and smelled delightfully of Willow... she smelled delicious.

There had been a part of him that had wanted to taste her right there in front of the coffee shop, to sink his teeth into that pale throat and let everyone know that she was HIS. The problem was that she wasn't his yet, and trying something like that would certainly be bad, not only for his chances with Willow but also for his long-term survival. He had just stared at her, memorizing the sight of her.

Then, he'd actually remembered to move, and he'd helped her into the car. They'd drove off towards the beach, and he was reminding himself over and over that his Willow was mortal, she was young, he should restrain himself, there would be no carrying her off and ravishing her. No matter how tempting the idea was.

Words and phrases were turning themselves over in a corner of his mind, comparing her skin to porcelain and pearls, her eyes to precious gems and summer leaves... her smile to the sunrise. There was consideration of meter and should there be a rhyme pattern? Perhaps a sonnet in the traditional form? Could mere words capture her grace and charm on paper? He could feel his fingers itching for a pen, a quill even, so that he could try to put words to her grace. He resisted the urge, instead offering his hand to Willow, half lifting her from the car. He let his hand stay on hers, feeling how fragile the bones of her hand felt to him, how her hand fit just so in his.

Willow and Spike made it to the beach without any accidents or collisions with anything, either stationary or moving. This was a pleasant surprise to Willow. Spike drove fast, the music had been loud, although since it had been something that Willow had enjoyed, she didn't plan to complain about that. She couldn't see out the windows, and she had found herself desperately hoping that Spike could.

They had arrived at the beach. Safely, in one piece, and with no carsickness on Willow's part. That was a tolerable start for the evening as far as Willow was concerned. Spike opened the car door for her and gave her a hand out, an oddly gentlemanly behavior, one that reminded her that he had once been a well educated poet instead of the bad boy rebel vampire that stood before her. Willow smiled at him, although she was fairly certain that he knew it was partly relief that the car ride was over.

Spike leaned in and spoke quietly, the breath of his words tickling her ear. "Relax, Red. I've never accidentally killed anyone with my driving. Wouldn't dream of starting with you."

Willow had to giggle a bit at the phrasing he'd used. He'd never accidentally killed someone with his driving... what about killing them on purpose? Oh, that was a bad thought, definitely not something she should be laughing about. He still had her hand in his, and it gave her this odd fluttery feeling in her stomach, not quite the same as ordinary nervousness. They began to walk towards the concert area, and Spike still held her hand in his. She could feel that while his hand wasn't hugely bigger than hers, it was larger, and his hand had a few hard calluses in a few places. She wasn't quite certain where they had come from, nor was she quite certain that she wanted to ask, but it was a nice feeling to let her hand rest inside of his.

They carefully made their way to the concert, still holding hands. Willow still had this delighted little smile on her face, and her eyes were shining with happiness. They could hear the final sound checks as they arrived at the concert area, and the first band was preparing to perform. Both were hoping that this evening would go well, hoping that this could be the start of something wonderful.

End part 28.


	3. parts 29 to 40

The evening was going wonderfully for Willow. She and Spike were listening to the music, far enough from the stage that there was enough room that they could dance a bit. Some of the other couples that had come to the concert were taking advantage of that fact, and after a bit, Spike asked her to dance with him, on the sand.

The most amazing guy she'd ever met had asked her on a date and wanted to dance with her. What could she do but accept? Well, that and give him a small grin and a murmur that she really wasn't a very good dancer. It was the most exhilarating thing she'd ever done. They danced to the music, fast songs and an occasional slower number. She could feel herself flushing from the exertion, and she was quite certain that Spike had been checking her neck out a few times... It was wonderful, like a dream come true...

Buffy and Scott had arrived early for the concert, and that had enabled them to have spots up close to the stage. There were no seats, but they had managed to get close to the band, and there was no room for much beyond a little swaying, possibly a bit of jumping if the band was good. They had been there through the sound checks, and watched the band put their things together on the stage. Buffy was excited, she would actually have a normal evening. She would have an evening where she was just Buffy, not the Slayer, an evening free of Slaying, or vampires and demons.

She wanted to just be Buffy... to just enjoy an evening with Scott, who seemed like a pretty nice guy. She wanted to pretend that she was normal, that everything was normal in her life. As long as nobody started screaming in panic, she just might be able to manage it. Tonight would be good for her.

Dru smoothed her hair and headed out the door of the factory. She wanted to find her angel and have a talk with him. She had a feeling that he would be looking through the cemeteries, since the dragon had gone away for the night. Which would leave him all alone, with nobody to interrupt her little conversation. Smiling at the thought, she spotted him, moving amidst the headstones. He was hunting anything that could be a danger to his chosen home, prowling like a great dark cat. Maybe she could find out if she could still make him purr....

"Hello my angel. I think you should talk to your princess." Her words floated through the darkness, and she smiled as he jumped slightly, and spun around to look at her.

"Dru... what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hiding from the Slayer?" Angel's voice almost hid his confusion at seeing her.

Dru looked at him, her head tilted a bit as if she were listening to some soft noise. "Miss Edith told me that the sticky taffy girl went away to listen to music with a boy. I can talk to you now, nobody will interrupt us. Did you have questions, my angel? The stars and the moon whisper their secrets to me... The fire fairy promised to help me, you know."

Angel looked at her, his eyes troubled. "What fire fairy? What did the fairy promise to help you do?"

Dru grinned, an expression full of mischief. "She promised me that she would try to keep the dragon from eating your soul. I saw it happening... the dragon ate your shiny soul all up in fire and gold... and then you went away and my Daddy brought pain and screams and suffering. But the fairy won't kill the dragon." Dru pouted a bit, trying to understand why the fairy was reluctant to get rid of the dragon, before it suddenly made sense. "You remember all the stories, my angel. The fairy works her magic, and then the knight can kill the dragon and save the day. But my tarnished knight only wants the tree, and my prince had run away from me. My prince has become a poor traveling knight. The dragon hunts over the mouth, and leaves ashes and blood behind." She began to sway, listening to some secret music.

Angel repeated her words, trying to draw some meaning out of them. "The dragon hunts over the mouth... and leaves ashes and blood." He suddenly looked at her, his eyes wide, as if the secrets she had spoken had finally unfolded for him. The only other thing he said before bolting from the cemetery was a half heard comment " Giles needs to know..."

Dru watched him go with a small pout on her face. As she started back to the factory, she began muttering unhappily to herself - or possibly to the stars. "Won't I ever get a chance to have a nice long talk with my Angel? Maybe I need to get those chains after all. Humph... off to talk to the big owl... what can HE tell my Angel that I can't? Did the owl warn him about the dragon? No, that was me. Did the owl tell him that we aren't here to cause trouble? No, that was me again. Did the owl tell him the sticky taffy was away? No, the taffy girl didn't even tell him, I did. He needs to listen to his princess more."

End part 29.

Angel headed for the library, certain that Giles would be there trying to find if there was any reference to a dragon in the assorted books of prophecy. He wasn't too surprised that the computer teacher, Jenny Calander was there as well, frowning at something on the computer.

"I ran into Dru again. She had a bit more to say about a few things. She mentioned the dragon again." Angel spoke, fairly certain what would happen as his words broke the quiet of the library. He wasn't disappointed.

Jenny squeaked in surprise with a hint of fear. She spun that chair around, looking at him with wide frightened eyes, eyes that looked like they held some secret of her own. He could hear her heartbeat racing... Giles had a racing pulse as well, and also looked clearly startled.

" Ahh... what did Dru have to say? I must say, perhaps Xander is right... a bell around your neck..." Giles was tying to recover from his surprise.

Angel moved deeper into the library, hiding the little feeling of purely predatory glee that he could surprise them so easily. "She said that the dragon hunts over the mouth, and leaves blood and ashes behind it. She said that it would eat my soul in fire and gold, and her Daddy would return, bringing fire and screams and pain. She also said that a fire fairy had promised to help her keep the dragon away from me."

Jenny had regained some composure. "Can you translate any of that into regular english?"

Angel gave a little half smile. "Actually, I can translate some of that. The part about her Daddy returning.. she's saying that she had a vision about Angelus coming back, and bringing fire, pain and screams. Sounds like the old times all over again. Someone or maybe something has promised to try to prevent the dragon from finding me... that can only mean that she has an ally, and that this ally is going to try to keep me separated form the Dragon. I'm also fairly certain that the dragon is a symbol for something else, possibly a person."

Giles gave a sigh of relief, and began to put some of the thick books back on the shelves. "That does narrow the search a bit. By chance do we know what the dragon hunts? Or perhaps what this mouth could... be... oh, dear, does she mean the Hellmouth?" Giles face was a study in dismay.

"What other dangerous mouth would there be something hunting over? That means the dragon is right here in Sunnydale. Also, this dragon is something dangerous." Angel looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I'm going to continue a patrol. I haven't seen Buffy out tonight, is she okay?"

Jenny looked at him, her expression unreadable. " I think she had a date tonight. Something about a concert on the beach."

Angel looked at her, seeking to discover if she was serious. She was... Buffy had a date... with someone else. He turned and walked away from the library, his mind spinning in many directions. Buffy had a date... that wasn't with him... he could hear Jenny's voice 'something about a concert on the beach' and he could hear Dru's words as well ' the sticky Taffy girl went away to listen to music with a boy'. Dru had spoke of the taffy girl right after he had mentioned the Slayer. Dru had known that Buffy had a date, so she'd gone seeking him out to warn him about the dragon.

What else had Dru mentioned? A Fire fairy... that wouldn't kill the dragon. Her tarnished knight wanting a tree... those two things didn't make any sense. The only possible explanation was that Dru was talking in symbols and images again. He was certain that she hadn't been this insane before... Before he'd regained his soul and abandoned his children. Before he'd left his princess... could William be her tarnished knight? Were both of the other members of his family here?

Maybe he'd just go to the beach and make certain that there wasn't any danger to Buffy. If there was a concert there would be a large number of people in one spot... all a hungry vampire could ask for. Yes, he should definitely patrol the beach and make certain that the concert was safe.

He had always liked simple violence as a cure for confusion. The difference was that now that he had his soul, he was a good deal more picky about whom he was violent towards. No more killing innocents, no torture because he was bored... He'd changed a great deal. He wondered if William would even want to see him again, if he was indeed Dru's 'tarnished knight'. Had William managed to deal with Angelus' abandonment? Those thoughts were only causing him more confusion. He only knew that he missed having a family of his own.

End 30.

Angel had stalked his way to the beach, half hoping to find something, some demon or vampires trying to cause chaos and mayhem to the mortals. Someone he could pummel, some way to release all these tangled emotions going through him. Buffy had a date... with some boy. How could she say that they were just perfect for each other and then go on a date with some mortal boy? It hurt, and it made him feel confused and angry.

He could sense Buffy's presence, the feel of a Slayer in the area was unmistakable. She didn't feel too close, so it was a reasonable assumption that she wouldn't notice him. He could also tell that there were lots of people, some scattered a bit into the darkness of the night. They would be easy prey... and he had to remind himself that he didn't eat humans anymore. But there would surely be others here that did.

As he moved through the darkness around the concert, he found several minions, young vampires that knew that this concert meant easy pickings, but not old enough or careful enough to not give themselves away. He dusted them without serious difficulty, feeling slightly better, but still brooding. Not only was he brooding over Buffy and her date, but minions and fledglings these days... obviously their sires didn't teach them very well. No subtlety, not even full-blown bloodshed and chaos, just... lurking like ugly vultures. Disgraceful. He was doing vampires as a whole a service by killing them.

Deciding to look closer, in the areas that were a bit less dark, he moved towards the stage. The band playing was.. enthusiastic, if only slightly talented. There was a possibility that older, smarter vampires might be lurking here. Maybe even passing themselves off as human to lure people off to eat. He would have to be watchful.

Meanwhile, Spike and Willow had continued their dancing. Willow had become a temptingly flushed pink color, and the exertion of the dancing had her heartbeat up. Spike could feel his teeth itching for just a little taste... she looked so tempting. But that wasn't the point, Willow was not a snack. He needed to regain a bit of control over himself.

"Willow, you look a bit flushed. Want me to get you a soda?" Spike made his offer, not only thinking that she might be thirsty, but thinking that it would give him a few moments to regain his control. She was almost too tempting.

She flashed him a smile, and nodded, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, something cool to drink would be great."

Smiling partly in relief, Spike nodded. "No problem. I'll just go over and pick you up something. I'll be right back, luv."

He was crossing through a dark area on his way to one of the refreshment stands when a man stepped in front of him. Spike tried to step around, having better things to do than get into a silly fight with some foolish human. "Hey, can't you tell when a bloke has other plans? I'm trying to walk though here."

The man simply gave Spike a once over look, seeing that the blond was about six inches shorter than he was, and also of a smaller build, and pulled a switchblade from his pocket. "I don't think you're going to be making it. Your plans have just been changed."

It was obvious to Spike that this mortal was trying to be difficult. Actually, the guy was trying to either rob him or just hurt him and leave him to bleed on the sand. Not really something to encourage, either way. Well, he'd told Willow he was going to go get her a drink, why not get himself one while he was off? It would help calm his temper, and might make him a bit less likely to think about biting Willow. Well, less hungry at least. "You really don't know when to back off, do you? I can deal with that. Bit thirsty, was going for a soda, but you'll do instead."

With a fanged smile, Spike reached out and grabbed the man by his throat. Wouldn't do to let him scream. Once he'd pulled the man in close, he moved his hand so that instead of the guy's throat, he held his mouth closed. He bit into the man's throat, drinking his blood in quick swallows. After a bit, he remembered his sweet Willow. Willow, who would probably be upset if he killed someone on their date. He let the man fall to the sand, unconscious. Willow was more important.

He carefully wiped his face clean before he walked up to the refreshment stand. Willow had asked for a soda, after all. Wouldn't do to be seen all bloody faced and cause a panic. It would ruin the mood of their date. On his way back, he frowned. Why did it feel like Angelus was near? What was he doing here at the beach? Best get back to make certain that Willow was safe from him.

End part 31.

Angel was worried. He had the oddest feeling, like someone was here that he had a blood-link to. He had one to Dru... could William be here? He was certain that if he was... Angelus had taught William a great deal about excessive violence and mayhem. It could only be trouble if William were here tonight. He found himself moving towards the feeling.

There was a figure moving through the dark, skirting the edges of the crowd. Another figure, a big man tried to block him, and pulled a knife. The small figure... he could feel him, he was family, family through Angelus. The smaller man grabbed the man with a knife, and pulled him down, drinking from him. They had been standing in a shadowy area, no human would be able to clearly see what was happening. The vampire dropped his would be attacker to the ground, as if he were a piece of trash, and continued on, headed for... a refreshment stand? Wasn't that a bit of an afterthought? He could see the lights gleaming on short bleached blond hair.

Angel went over intending to check the man, expecting some horrible mess in place of a throat. He could smell the blood from here, reminding him that he hadn't fed tonight. To his surprise, the would-be mugger was still alive, but unconscious. The vampire hadn't killed him. That meant he was an older vampire, old enough to have developed self-control, old enough that he was probably here with some sort of devious plot.

He watched the blond vampire get a drink, and head into the crowd. Angel decided to follow him, hoping to learn what he was doing here. The blond vampire was most likely the 'tarnished knight' that Dru had mentioned. Could it be William? Had they both come to Sunnydale? Buffy was almost forgotten with these new thoughts. To Angel's dismay, he lost the vampire that might be William in the crowd.

Now, he had plenty of things to worry about. There was Buffy and her date... but she was the Slayer, surely she could handle some high school boy. There was Dru and her cryptic warnings... something about a dragon and his soul. She had been trying to tell him that something could remove his soul... that he would return to how he had been before, soulless, vicious, leaving destruction in his wake. He shuddered at the thought. Now, there was this other vampire, possibly William, certainly related to him somehow. This blonde vampire had the self-control not to kill when feeding, and had to have some purpose in being here.

What could he want? Did he want to kill the Slayer? It was generally considered an impressive feat in demon circles... Was he seeking some mystical relic? There had already been several found in the area, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think there might be others. If he were after a relic, what would it do? Or there was the other traditional plan, to open the hellmouth or start the apocalypse. He would simply have to lurk around and try to find out what this vampire was planning, and how to stop it..

He'd best stay here, in the beach area, so that he could try to get some idea what this vampire was planning to do. Perhaps he could get a better look at him, maybe gather some idea who he was. So, Angel settled into one of his better skills, lurking.

Eventually, the concert came to a close. Considering the questionable talent of some of the musicians, this was a good thing in Angel's book. The assorted people were beginning to disperse, returning to their vehicles, or in some cases just walking away into the darkness. He caught a glimpse of Buffy, walking arm in arm with a boy, perhaps her own age, apparently talking about something, laughing and smiling. He felt another flow of pain go through him.

He felt the other approaching, the vampire of his bloodline. Looking around, he saw the blond man. He was also walking arm in arm with someone, a lovely redhead in a pale dress. She looked as if she had enjoyed the evening, and was holding the vampire's arm with one hand, gesturing in accompaniment to her words with the other. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. They were moving towards the parking area.

Perhaps this blond vampire had decided to pick up a mortal girl for the evening. It was something he'd done as Angelus. Find a pretty girl, flirt with her, take her out for a nice evening with dinner, flowers... lure her off and drain her, occasionally more. He didn't think that would be a good thing to let happen to this half familiar redhead. He started towards the pair, intent on preventing whatever plans this vampire had from taking place. Unfortunately, there were enough people moving towards cars that he couldn't get to them in time.

The black car that the vampire was driving pulled away, taillights glowing in the darkness like the eyes of some huge beast. All he could do was watch it go, hoping... Hoping that the worst the girl would suffer was some fear and panic before the life was drained from her by something out of her nightmares.

There were times that he really hated this town. There were also times that he envied his soulless brethren. He could remember the taste of fresh blood, the feeling of power it gave to hold someone's life in your hand. Of course, he also had to suffer the guilt of his conscience about every life he'd taken, every pain he'd inflicted. It had been much easier being evil and soulless. Meals had tasted better as well.. but it would be wrong to kill people simply because it tasted better. That was why when he returned to his apartment, his dinner would be some cold blood, purchased from a local butcher. Blood that had once kept life in a cow, blood filled with the dull passions of grass, and while it would sustain him, it was hardly a gourmet meal.

End part 32.

Willow was delighted with how her date with Spike had gone. They had gone to the concert, and he'd told her that she looked pretty, well, he'd actually said she looked marvelous. They'd danced, and she'd had a wonderful time. He'd been so nice that she could hardly believe that he was really a vampire, although she'd caught a glimpse of the rear view mirror when he'd dropped her off, and he hadn't been in it, so he definitely was a vampire, just one with an unexpectedly sweet side. She'd been so happy with how things had gone.

They'd made some plans, and instead of the poetry reading on Tuesday, they were planning to go catch a movie. He'd mentioned this historical movie that was coming out, well, probably not very accurately historical, but Willow loved period movies with their costumes and settings. Spike was taking her to a movie. Willow found herself grinning from the whole idea... she had a date... with Spike.

She spent the night dreaming about Spike, and their date last night. They were very pleasant dreams, although a great many of them took what had actually happened and... hmm... changed the end of the evening. Sometimes there was dancing... dinner at fancy restaurants... or some breath taking naughty passionate things that would certainly have to get an NC 17 rating if she attempted to explain them. Wow... she would simply say that she'd imagined him without anything on, and she was sure he'd look very good that way.

Saturday morning, she got dressed and went to the library to help Giles try to find more information on the possible threat to Angel's soul. Considering the things that she'd read in the book about Angelus, she definitely didn't want his soul to vanish. Sounded like they would be there for quite a while, so she stopped to pick up some muffins for breakfast, and some coffee for herself and Miss Calander. She walked into the library, finding Giles bent over a book, muttering something under his breath. Miss Calander was looking at some papers, possibly a computer print out.

"Hey, good morning you two. I have muffins and coffee, well, Giles probably wants his tea, but I got coffee for Miss Calander and me. So, where do you want me to start looking?" Willow was very cheerful, and her voice showed it.

Giles looked up at her, his glasses having slid down his nose a bit. "Ahh, perhaps you could see if Jenny has an English translation? She has managed to get a hold of a copy of the curse that was used on Angelus, so if we actually look at the text..."

Jenny looked up, a slightly distracted smile on her face. "You have coffee? Willow, you are wonderful." She held one hand out, a clear hint to give her coffee now.

Willow giggled as she gave Miss Calander a coffee, and put the box of muffins on the table, in a place that everyone could reach them. She accepted a small sheaf of papers in return, and sat down with her own cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin to look at them. She looked at the first page; seeing that it was a partial translation of some files... this was information about the curse on Angel's soul.

Her whispered exclamation of 'ohh... wow.' was let pass, partly because Giles and Jenny had experienced similar thoughts when they had seen the files. Willow flipped through, trying to get an idea what exactly she had in her hands. Commentary about the ritual, details on the astrological alignment at the time it was cast... even a few notes about the spell, although the actual spell wasn't translated.

This was certainly enough to start working. She could at the least determine if there was something in the star patterns that was important, or if that had merely been coincidental. Willow could also look into the ritual, and determine exactly how much they would need if it came down to an emergency re-souling. She began a page of notes about just that, still in a good mood from the evening before.

"So, what did you do last night, Willow?" It was Miss Calander who asked, her tone lightly teasing, a smile on her features.

Willow could feel herself blushing. "I... umm I had a date. We went to the concert on the beach. The music was... okay, but my date was wonderful." She was smiling at her memories of the evening before.

" A date? Really? Whom did you have a date with?" Giles' voice was curious, also slightly concerned. He was the closest thing that many of the scoobies had to a parent.

Willow could feel herself blushing again. She studied her coffee cup with interest; half hoping that Giles wouldn't really want to know. Unfortunately, she knew that he did want to know. "His name is Spike, and he's new in the area. I did a little investigation, so there will be no rude 'he's a demon' surprises. He's originally from London, and he's surprisingly sweet."

Willow didn't add that that was because she already knew that he was a demon and exactly what type. She didn't think that would go over very well. They would assume that since she had said there would be no demon surprise that her Spike was human. Her Spike... she liked that thought.

End part 33.

"Surprisingly sweet, and British. Well, I suppose that's a start." Giles muttered the words under his breath as he turned back to the books in front of him.

Willow grinned; he sounded so much like an overprotective father just then. She had the oddest impression that Giles wasn't certain this person calling himself Spike would be 'good enough' to date Willow. The idea that she had a parental figure was just... oddly delightful. It was very good to know that there was an adult that cared, that worried about her safety.

They had been researching for several hours when Buffy breezed in, allegedly for training and weapons practice. Buffy had a dreamy expression on her face, one that said she wasn't thinking about slaying, or anything about demons or dangers. She gave a little wave hello, and asked what they were looking at.

Willow was surprised by Giles' answer. He looked up, pushing his glasses up his nose, and closed his book, placing a scrap of paper inside as a marker. "Just... a little research into a prophecy. With a bit of luck, it will come to nothing. Now, I believe we had figured swords this week?"

Giles had deliberately not told Buffy that there was a possible threat to Angel's soul. He had chosen to hide it from her. Why would he do that? Willow chewed on her lip as she considered, trying to understand Giles' reasoning. Buffy did have a bit of a tendency to charge into situations without getting all the information. Maybe Giles was afraid Buffy would go off, trying to save Angel by keeping him with her all the time?

Wait... Dru had said that Buffy was the dragon. That meant that Buffy was somehow the danger to Angel's soul. How could Buffy make his soul leave? Seeing that Giles and Buffy were both safely occupied with sword practice, Willow turned to the section that contained notes about the curse. If Buffy was a danger to Angel's soul, was it because they were close, or because she was the Slayer? Was it something that could happen because they had that thing going on?

She found a note, that Angelus had been cursed to 'unending pain. Let his soul be as a curse to him'... 'suffer for all time with guilt and despair'. Eesh, note to self, do not piss off gypsy clans. What happens if he isn't miserable and despairing? She searched the notes, hoping to find an answer about that. Having no luck, she turned to Jenny.

"Miss Calander! Have you found anything... I have a question. It says here unending misery and despair... what happens if it does end? I mean... what if he's happy? Does that break the spell, like Prince Charming kissing Sleeping Beauty awake?" She had kept her words quiet, but the intensity of her concern was still easily apparent.

Miss Calander looked about to answer, then frowned. "I'm not sure. If that were the case, it would be... very impractical, as well as very dangerous. I have a program that should be able to translate the actual spell, so that we have the exact wording, but I seem to recall the phrase 'unending torment and despair' being repeated a few times."

Willow was thoughtful. Miss Calander wasn't telling her everything she knew. But... what could she possibly be hiding about the curse, and why? How could it be better to hide what she knew, and possibly run the risk of the curse being broken? Hmm maybe she could ask Dru if she saw her again?

Eventually, Buffy finished her weapons practice, and She and Giles started talking about how Buffy's patrol's had gone, discussing what areas she might need to spend more time patrolling, and what things she might need more practice with. Willow picked up the papers that Miss Calander had given her, tucking them under her own books, and left the library, saying that she would just go home and keep working on her 'history project', and thanking Giles and Miss Calander for pointing her in the right direction.

She went home, sitting on the back porch for the fresh air, trying to find anything useful in the notes. Eventually, after taking some notes of her own, she put them aside and started her new favorite activity, daydreaming about Spike. She spent several hours sitting under the blue sky, remembering their date last night. They had danced, and he'd brought her a drink, and he'd been just wonderful. Not once had he given any indication of concern about where the Slayer was, or anything else besides spending time with her. She just might have found someone that actually wanted her for herself.

She was actually in a good mood that evening. She smiled, thinking back to dancing with Spike, and watched the sunset paint the sky red and purple. The colors faded as the stars came out, and she felt very peaceful.

"Watching the stars again, little Tree?" She heard the voice, slightly accented, before she saw Dru.

Turning slightly, she waved. "Hey there. They're very clear tonight. You can see Orion, and the Pleiades, and those over there... So, how's things been for you?"

Dru sat down beside her, pouting slightly. "I talked to my angel, but he was all worried about the taffy girl, and he went away to talk to the big owl. I didn't understand why he would do that... the owl didn't warn him about the dragon, I did. Did you have fun with Spikey?"

Willow found herself smiling at Dru's words. The big owl... that had to be Giles. She knew that Buffy was the taffy girl and the dragon... Spikey? She couldn't quite ..well, actually, she could picture Dru calling him that. "We went to a concert. It was actually the same one that Buffy went to, but Buffy was much closer to the stage, since she and her date showed up earlier, like when it was still daytime. Spike and I danced...." Her words trailed off, and she smiled in remembrance.

Suddenly, she remembered her efforts this afternoon in the library. She jumped up, hurrying over to the papers she had brought out with her. "Oh! I had something I wanted to ask you about. You warned Angel about his soul, and he talked to Giles, and Giles asked Miss Calander, and they've found some information, but a lot of it isn't in English, so I only had part of it here with me. I was wondering if maybe you could help me figure any of this out. We don't want Angel to loose his soul."

She held out the papers to Dru. Dru took them, flipping through the pages, swaying slightly and humming something that sounded vaguely familiar, like an old half forgotten nursery rhyme. "Naughty old gypsy woman... she took my daddy away, left us with only mean mummy... Mummy wasn't good to us anymore, we had to run away from her."

Suddenly, she stopped, staring at one of the pages. Her face changed, and she hissed at the paper, her eyes golden, and with sharp fangs. "Bad old witch! How naughty of her! She wanted daddy to suffer, so she made the spell fragile, it would break... burned away in the heat and fires... drowned in locks of gold. She is very bad, and I would go punish her..." Dru's brow wrinkled, as if she were trying to recall something. "Oh, she would already be dead. She was old then... hmph. Why would she make the spell fragile so it would break? He wouldn't be any fun if it broke, he would be mad with impatience and hunger... nasty dead cows blood, eeuuuwww."

She looked at Willow, her eyes still golden, her face still clearly the face of a vampire. "We must find a way to prevent this from happening. He wouldn't be my old daddy; he would be a very bad daddy. He would hurt me and Spikey, hurt everyone very badly."

Willow reached out, patting Dru's hand soothingly. "Of course I want to help. It sounds like it would be a very scary thing for the spell to break. But, umm Dru? If they made it all fragile, maybe... umm could we find or make another spell? One to make sure his soul stays, even if the gypsy curse fails?"

Dru made a little 'oh' of surprise, and then smiling, she flung her arms around Willow, giving her a big hug. The papers fell to the ground around them, like early leaves. "What a splendid idea! I shall have to see if I can find something to help with that! You are such a clever one."

Dru was still smiling as she left, humming a little tune, her fingers tracing patterns in the air. Willow watched her go, thinking that she seemed quite nice. Her ribs felt just a bit sore; Dru had hugged her very tightly. She picked up the papers, still smiling. She had a new friend in the dark haired vampiress, and she had her new.. something with Spike. Yes, life was looking up for her.

End 34.

While Willow was having her chat with Dru, Angel had stopped in at the school, hoping that there had been some progress looking for information on his curse. While he could admit to himself that things had certainly been easier for him soulless, it would not be safe for the mortals he had come to know. They would most likely end up tormented and killed, something very likely in Xander's case, or turned and made part of his family. He actually had a great deal of respect for Giles and his abilities; the man would probably end up a childe if he ever lost his soul. Somehow, he didn't think Giles would take it as a compliment if he learned that little fact.

He walked into the library, noticing that Willow wasn't at the computer. Instead, there was a dark haired woman. In the shadows of the library, she had a startling resemblance to poor Rosa Kalderash; the gypsy that he had killed many years ago, the victim that had drawn the wrath of the sorcerers clan of gypsies upon him, resulting in his soul. Surely that was no more than a coincidence, or his guilty conscience working overtime? He could hear her and Giles talking, speculating on how much time Willow would have for research in the future.

"Why wouldn't Willow be available to research? Is there something going on that I should know about?" His voice carried well, and the woman jumped, the faint scent of her fear drifting towards him. He could also hear a dull thud from the stacks; apparently Giles had dropped a book.

Jenny looked at him, her eyes startled and nervous. Then, after a few deep breaths to calm herself, she answered. "Willow had a date last night. It seems that someone has finally noticed her. She said he's from London originally, and calls himself Spike. Blue eyes, bleached blond hair. We asked her a few things, wanting to make certain... Well, we don't want another Moloch."

Giles came out, his voice concerned. "Yes, Willow is... dating someone called Spike, I do hope that's simply a nick-name. Of greater concern is the fact that while we have a copy of the spell used, we need to get it translated."

After smiling fondly at Giles, Jenny continued. "There were some other files... It was sent to me on the computer. We have the astrological alignment, and a description of the ritual. There were also some notes about the phrasing, but... I'm running a translation program to try to decipher it."

Looking very worried, she chose a paper from a scattering of them on the table, and held it out to Angel. "There might be a loophole. I'm not certain, but there are notes about the phrase 'unending torment' and something about despair and suffering. Willow asked what happened if your suffering ever ended. I couldn't answer her. I'm hoping that there wouldn't be an effect on the spell. Unfortunately, I can't be certain, which is why the translation program."

Angel nodded, considering her words. Unending pain and despair, she'd said. That was one way to summarize his souled existence. Could the gypsies have been foolish enough to put something like that in the spell? Something as simple as happiness could cause his soul to leave? He had a moment's desperate hope that they hadn't. What sort of sense would there be in that? Surely they had realized that if he lost the soul, he would be just as bad if not worse than when he'd tortured and killed Rosa?

There was something else nagging at his mind. Willow had a boyfriend? From London, with blue eyes... and bleached blond hair? Could that vampire that he'd sensed and tried to follow be this Spike person? Could Willow be seeing a vampire? Surely she wouldn't do that deliberately, she had to know how dangerous that would be. Maybe he'd better make certain that she wasn't. It suddenly hit him. The half familiar redhead in the pale dress - that had been Willow Rosenberg. It seemed that her boyfriend had been keeping dangerous secrets from her.

Buffy depended on Willow... more than that, Willow was the only person that hadn't made him feel like some sort of freak because he was a vampire. She had never flung it in his face that he couldn't do so many of the things that mortals could, had never mocked him about his condition. She had given him acceptance, treated him as a friend. He had no idea what he would do if there weren't one person that treated him like a real person.

If that blond vampire had hurt her, he would pay and pay dearly. Willow was too special to let her vanish, becoming yet another Sunnydale fatality. She was one of a kind, in all his years, living or dead, he had never met anyone else half as accepting as Willow.

A little corner of his mind was pondering the memory of Willow and the blond vampire. He hadn't looked like he was hurting her. She had looked like she was enjoying herself. Willow was kind and generous and accepting... could she be accepting enough to have a vampire boyfriend? The blond had possessed enough control not to kill the man with the knife, had he also realized how special Willow was? He found himself feeling oddly jealous. It wasn't that he wanted Willow for himself, although he had noticed that she was a lovely young woman. He wanted someone that could accept him as he was, vampire and soul.

End part 35.

Eventually, Tuesday rolled around. There had been school, which she must have gone to, someone would have asked about it otherwise. She had been searching though the papers on the gypsy curse, and hunting the Internet for something, anything that might be a help in trying to find a new and more secure way to bind Angel's soul to his body. She hadn't been getting nearly enough sleep.

The small alarm in her watch went off, and Willow jumped, slightly startled. She had programmed it so that she would be able to remember to go meet Spike at the Espresso Pump, and from there go to the movie. It would be good for her to go and spend time with a sexy guy that was interested in her. There would be no discussion of hunting demons, or soul curses. Just some talk about the movie, and maybe a few other light topics.

She made her way to the Espresso Pump, and got herself a cup of coffee, finding a small table to sit at. Drinking her coffee, she tried to find the energy to enjoy her time with Spike. He was welcome company, and she would hate for him to think she wasn't enjoying time with him simply because she was too tired. Hence the coffee, in hopes that between the caffeine and sugar, she could manage to have enough energy to be good company, even if only for a while.

Spike sauntered in, by now knowing to look for Willow at one of the little tables on the fringes of the area. He spotted her red hair, and made his way over to her. It was then that he noticed how she looked. Her skin was pale, not the luminous pale that it had been, but a more waxy pale, with dark circles under her eyes. She was holding a coffee mug in her hands, and raised it as if to drink, tipped it up until it was almost upside down. When nothing came out, she looked into it, frowning slightly in puzzlement. She looked exhausted.

"Evening Willow. You look a bit tired." He hoped it wasn't anything he'd done.

She looked up at him, slightly startled. "Spike! I didn't notice you come in. Umm tired? And did I say hello?"

He sat down, taking one of her hands in his. It felt like a delicate bird, slender and graceful and fragile, still warm from the coffee mug. She was smiling at him, her expression one of welcome and happiness at seeing him. Would she still smile so cheerfully at him if she knew the truth?

"So... shall I take it you've been studying hard lately? Big test coming up or something?"

Willow's smile faltered a bit. "Not quite. I mean, yes, I've been studying and researching, but not for school. There's a... how do I put this? Umm somebody that's a sorta friend just found out that he may have this really dreadful thing to worry about, kind of a mental health thing... I've been trying to help find a way to see if its actually a risk. Not to forget the whole try to find some way to make sure everything doesn't fall apart into big nasty pieces... I guess I've been going a bit short on sleep."

He winced, remembering that if Dru had gone to warn Angel, he surely would have tried to find out what the whole dragon thing meant, some way to stop it. Naturally, Willow would be drafted to help look into that, considering that she was actually friends with the slayer. She was trying to find a way to help Angel... a sorta friend. No wonder she looked exhausted.

"Willow, luv, you look tired. Bet you wouldn't be able to pay a lot of attention to the movie anyhow. Would you like to take a walk instead? We could go out, have some fresh air... promise not to take advantage of you while you're tired." He tried to make his words sound friendly, to set her at ease.

She sat up a little straighter, looking thoughtful. "A walk... outside. Fresh air, no movie... yeah. Sounds good. Keep me safe from dangerous ... um... wild animals?"

Spike grinned at her, feeling this unsettling light feeling bubble up inside him. "Of course I'll keep you safe, Willow. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you." He leaned over the table, whispering in a low tone. "Y'see, I've taken a bit of a fancy to you. Wouldn't do to let some wild animal have you when I'd rather have you instead."

Her eyes widened, and she let out a soft 'ohh' in response to his words, blushing in response to his words. She then smiled, and her face lit up like the sunrise lights up the sky after night, and stood up, offering him her arm. They walked out of the coffee shop into the night air, leaving the murmur of voices and clinking of cups behind in exchange for crickets, night birds, cars in the distance.

She held his arm, content to wander wherever he chose to go. They walked, enjoying each other's company and the quiet night air. While they walked, there were little comments and observations about the weather, the noises, various other things that had no deeper meaning. It was enough for them to be spending the time together. Willow had kept her hand on Spike's arm, enjoying his company. Spike felt as if the whole walk was a blissful dream.

Unfortunately, all dreams come to an end, and this pleasant interlude was not to be an exception. Spike and Willow had meandered into a park, and they were walking around the small pond when he sensed Angelus drawing near. He glanced around, fairly certain that Willow wouldn't know what he was looking for, and saw a silhouette across the park. He could tell that it was Angelus. Not only that, but the older vampire was headed this way.

Damn.

End part 36.

Angel had been out, patrolling. He'd been mostly brooding about things, if he wanted to be honest with himself. Brooding about Buffy, and how she had just gone out with the boy from her school, how she had just seemed to forget about him when someone else showed interest. He couldn't understand how she could go from wildly jealous and possessive to attending a concert with someone else.

He wasn't going to put up with that. He wouldn't be her guilty secret, the secret boyfriend that she only saw at night, only when nobody was looking. He wouldn't be her pet vampire, to help her fight demons, share kisses, and then leave behind to spend time in the sun with some mortal boy. If she couldn't let him be enough for her, why should he waste his time trying to make her happy? Why set himself up for that sort of pain?

He had found some minions, and killed them, considering it a simple part of protecting the people of Sunnydale. The minions weren't bright enough to be anything but a danger. Not like the blonde at the concert had been. The blonde that had felt like family... He wanted to know what the motive was for him. Why was the blonde in Sunnydale? What could he possibly hope to gain?

He let himself wander, not concerned with where his feet took him. He'd half expected to end up in one of the many cemeteries, and then he would have searched for late risers. Or maybe he would have been near the Bronze, and he would have ended up brooding on the fact that he wasn't human. Instead, he found himself in a park, and he could feel the nearness of someone of his blood, vibrating inside him like a harp-string. Looking around, he tried to determine where the feeling was coming from.

Over there, by the pond. There was a couple walking, a man with pale hair and a woman with darker hair. He blinked, and tried to focus on the people instead of his thoughts. The man... he could feel him, it was the blonde vampire from the beach. Which meant... could the woman be Willow? He'd best go over and make certain that she was safe.

He started towards the pair, intent on finding out what was going on. Why was this vampire walking with Willow? If he was just planning on hurting her... Well, if he planned to hurt Willow, Angel would just have to rip his arms of and beat him with them. That would put a stop to any ideas of hurting Willow.

He had closed half the distance when it occurred to him that this blonde vampire might not be planning to hurt Willow. He might have realized that she was someone special. Angel had no idea what to do then. That made him frown, which only intensified as he realized that the blonde had stepped in front of Willow, effectively placing himself between Angel and Willow. Almost as if he were trying to keep her safe from Angel...

This was surprising enough, but things only felt weirder for Angel when he got a good look at the other vampire. He'd cut his hair short and bleached it blonde, but it was unmistakably William. Hadn't William been entirely besotted with Dru? Why then was he walking with Willow? Why was Dru meandering around Sunnydale, apparently completely content with this?

He wanted answers, and staring at the people in front of him wouldn't produce them. He could see Willow, peeking around William's arm, her face curious, but showing signs of exhaustion. She gave every evidence of being here under her own free will. William was standing there, having placed himself between Angel and Willow, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

When Angel spoke, his voice was almost a purr, and the traces of his accent had grown a bit more noticeable. "Hello William. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? What brings you here, to Sunnydale?"

He noticed that William tensed with his words. Not only that, but he had reached out slightly, as if to suggest Willow stay behind him. His expression had also changed slightly, now looking cold instead of neutral. It was as if he were refusing to believe that Angel would have any good interest in him or his activities, a guarded and unwelcoming expression.

That hurt as well. Unfortunately, he understood how William could have gotten that impression. After the gypsies had cursed him, he had run away, abandoning his family. He had felt so horribly guilt-ridden... he couldn't imagine that any of them would have taken him in, would have wanted to see him after that dreadful curse. He had abandoned his family, and now he was looking into the eyes of... well, for lack of a more appropriate comparison, looking into the eyes of the son he had abandoned decades ago. The childe that he'd abandoned, and demanding to know what he was doing... what he was planning. Small wonder William was looking at him like that.

Finally, after long moments of staring at each other, William relented enough to speak. "I suppose it has been a while. You could have seen me more recently, except for that whole abandoning everyone and disappearing thing you pulled. I had reasons for coming here. They didn't involve you."

Angel frowned, feeling as if he had no idea what William was thinking. It was clear to him that in the decades since they'd last seen each other, William had changed a great deal, developing a degree of restraint and self control that hadn't been there before. He knew how the William from many years ago would have reacted, but he didn't know how the William of now would react. "Maybe I should ask exactly what you intend to do to Willow? She's a nice girl, and she doesn't need you playing games with her."

There was a muffled sound of annoyance or unhappiness from Willow, and William glared at Angel, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I said my being here didn't involve you. Didn't think Willow was your concern either. Seems like I can't have a nice evening with her without somebody trying to ruin the occasion."

Angel glared at William, trying to predict how the younger vampire would react. "I don't think I like you being involved with Willow. I don't recall you being the most careful of individuals. Besides, what about Dru?"

William glared at Angel, his expression outraged. His voice was louder, angry and nearly shouting. "I'm not involved with Dru anymore! Not like that! Besides, you have no bloody idea how I am anymore, you left years ago and never looked back. It isn't your business anymore!"

"Of course it's my business, and I want you to stay away from Willow!" Angel was pretty much shouting himself, a small corner of his mind tying to figure out how he'd ended up shouting at his childe. He'd forgotten one little thing in the course of yelling at his relative.

Willow stepped out from behind William, her eyes glaring and bright. "Angel, shut up. You aren't my father, you can't tell me who I can and can't spend my time with. You don't need to be here, yelling at my... at my Spike because you're upset that Buffy went out with Scott. That isn't my problem, I didn't make her do it, and you didn't make her do it either, so get over that! You brooding doesn't mean that I shouldn't be able to have a nice evening out!"

Angel looked at her, her eyes bright with anger... and was that a hint of tears? She did have a point, Buffy had gone out with Scott of her own free will. He wasn't her father, he didn't have to approve of her dates, although it could be worse, she could have been out walking with Xander... She was furious with him, and he could see her point. But, she couldn't know, even Willow wouldn't deliberately go out with a vampire, would she?

"Willow, you don't understand. He's... Spike, you said he was calling himself Spike now? Spike isn't exactly a safe person for you to be seeing. He's..." Angel's efforts to explain were cut off by Willow's own angry words.

"This is where you try to protect me from myself, right? Because I couldn't know what's going on? I know enough. He likes me, Angel. You have no idea how long I've wanted someone to want me, to see me. I'm not sure where things are going with us, but I intend to find out. It's sweet of you to worry, but... I can handle this." Her words had gone from angry to simply tired, as if her anger had exhausted her. However, her face was resolved through the whole thing, from angry and resolved, shifting to resolved but tired, telling Angel that she considered this to be serious.

She placed her hand on William's... no, Spike's arm, and murmured, " I think I want to go home now."

With that, the two of them left. Angel watched, feeling as if things had shifted somehow, as if the rules had been changed on him. Willow and... Spike? He wouldn't be able to convince her to change her mind on this. She would only change her mind if she decided that Spike was too dangerous. Now what could he do?

End part 37.

Willow placed her hand on Spike's arm, and murmured, " I think I want to go home now."

She had been tired before, although spending time with Spike had been very nice. Then, Angel had showed up, and acted all "grrr" and protective. In a way, it was a bit sweet; since Lord knew her parents didn't care. However, it was also extremely frustrating. Nobody had wanted her for so long... now, Angel expected her to get all upset and back away simply because the only person that wanted her happened to be dead? Well, he didn't know that she knew that, Spike didn't even know that she knew that, but still.

Clearly, if he expected something like that to freak her out, he hadn't been paying very much attention to how she reacted. Okay, maybe she did generally get afraid when a vampire showed up, but that was generally because they were trying to hurt or kill her, not because they were a bit different. She'd never held the fact that he was a vampire against Angel, why should she hold it against Spike?

"I guess this evening isn't going very well. I think he was trying to be protective, although I'm not sure why he picked now to start worrying about me." She glanced at Spike, hoping that he still wanted to see her again; despite the problem Angel seemed to have with the idea.

He smiled at her reassuringly, his eyes sliding briefly past her face to rest for a moment on her neck before returning to her face. He still held her hand as they walked. "He's... I guess you could say he's family, at least technically. The thing is, there was.. something very drastic happened, everything changed all of a sudden, and he was gone. I... nobody knew where he'd gone, or what had happened to him. The thing is, he would remember me the way I was then, not how I am now. I wasn't a very nice bloke then, a bit uncontrolled and impulsive. Ahh, who am I kidding? I'm still impulsive; I'm just not as much trouble as I used to be. He's afraid I'm gonna hurt you. If I was the same as I was then, he might have been right, but... oh, bloody hell, Willow, I've picked up your babbling. It sounds a lot cuter from you."

She smiled, feeling herself blushing as he said her babbling was cute - it did mean he thought it was cute if he said it was cuter from her, right? Leaning her head against his arm, she spoke again, her words slightly blurred with exhaustion. "Everyone changes I guess. If I'm not the same as I was two years ago, why should you be the same person that you were a few years ago, or however many it was. Ummm what is the deal with you and Dru anyhow? I mean, Angel said you'd been involved, or thought you still were or something... umm...."

Spike chuckled, and Willow could feel the vibration through his shoulder. "Dru and I... we used to be involved. I thought the world of her once upon a time. But, he left, and we moved away from where we'd been, and then... things just sort of changed. Woke up one day and realized that while I still... cared about her, I wasn't in love with her anymore. I didn't want her to get hurt, but she wasn't my world anymore, if that makes any sense."

Willow nodded, her thoughts going off in strange directions. "You still care what happens to her, and you still want her safe and happy, but you aren't... aren't a couple anymore, right? At least, I think that's what you were meaning... Where did you move to? Is that when you left London?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, that's when we left the area. We went to Venice as a start... traveled around a lot. I think she's got a thing for Ang... that is, Angel back there."

After a bit longer, they suddenly stopped talking, and Willow blinked, her mind feeling fuzzy. Why had they stopped? There had to be a reason... She looked around, trying to figure out where they were. "Oh... we're at my house."

She walked slowly towards the front door, fishing in her pocket for the keys to the house. She could feel Spike behind her, a cool presence. Finally, she found them, and unlocked the door. Then, she turned to face Spike, standing half in the house, half on the step.

"I think I had a nice evening... I'd like to get together again, hopefully when I'm less tired. Maybe we can catch that movie?" She watched his face, seeing the play of shadows and a hint of moonlight. She was feeling hopeful.

He leaned over, kissing her on the lips. It was slow and sweet, a caress of lips and a hint of tongue, and it left Willow feeling fluttery inside. "Probably best if I call it a night, sweet. Otherwise, I might find myself taking advantage of you. You're too much of a marvel to just take advantage of, though. You're a gem, and I wanted to thank you for seeing someone worth your time when you look at me. After all, most people don't."

She could feel herself blushing again. "That's... wow, nobody's ever called me a gem before. Nobody's ever thanked me for trying to look past the surface of them either... You're quite welcome, you know." She looked at him, her eyes wide and intent, a small smile on her lips.

A small corner of her mind was worrying. She had just told him he was welcome... had just given him an invitation into her home. There would be no supernatural barrier preventing him from coming into her home now. If she had misjudged him, she had essentially just handed herself over to him. She was certain that he wasn't here to hurt her. There was a feeling, deep inside from somewhere beyond her insecurities that told her he would not hurt her. She just hoped that that feeling was right.

She leaned forward, and gave him a kiss. It was a bit hesitant, not as confident as his kiss to her. "Goodnight, Spike."

Willow went into her house, her mind still dwelling on the two kisses they had shared. That night, she slept deeply, exhausted and dreaming of Spike.

End part 38.

Spike was stunned. Not only had she yelled at Angelus, although she'd called him Angel, which had actually been quite a treat to be witness to, but she'd invited him into her house! Maybe she hadn't actually... well, she probably hadn't intended to, but he could feel it. She'd been on the thresh-hold, and said he was welcome. The barrier against his entry had dropped; he was free to enter her home. That was something very promising. There were all sorts of things he could do now, ranging from the harmless of following her in after a movie to leaving her presents to the downright naughty of slipping in and ravishing her.

He spent quite a while having an interesting fantasy of doing just that when it occurred to him that not only had she liked it and kissed back when he'd kissed her, she'd then kissed him afterwards. Maybe a bit restrained, definitely a bit shy, but SHE had kissed HIM. That had to be an encouraging sign. She liked him. He felt downright giddy. Things were definitely looking promising... except for Angelus, or Angel, or whatever he was calling himself now.

Dru was searching though some of her old books, clearly looking with a purpose instead of leafing through from boredom. She was muttering something about nasty gypsy hags and stupid spells. There was a notebook beside her, and she'd apparently written a few pages of things in it, although with Dru, he could never be certain if she was copying passages, taking notes, or writing down a song that she heard in the stars, or possibly all three.

She looked up at him, smiling at his arrival. "Hello Spikey. Did you have a nice time with the little tree? You're all smiley."

Spike grinned at Dru, in much to good a mood to object to her calling him Spikey. Normally, it annoyed him a lot, which might have been the whole point of it, but tonight, everything was much to good to let a petty annoyance like that ruin his good mood.

"Dru, everything is great tonight. I met with Willow... we didn't go to a movie, but we had a nice walk. Almost got ugly though... Angelus showed up, didn't think I should be dating Willow. He thinks I'm not good for her." He found himself scowling at the memory those words.

"Spike, he isn't the same daddy that we lost to the gypsies. He's all swirly colors now... they gave him a soul, all heavy and swirling and guilty. Nasty gypsy had made the spell all fragile though. I would say that she could have no tea, but she's dead already. He's our not-daddy now, my angel. He wants the little tree to be safe." She had stood up, and was swaying slightly, one hand moving as if keeping time to music only she could hear.

"My red didn't like him telling her she shouldn't see me. She yelled at him good and proper, she did. Told him he wasn't her father, couldn't tell her who she could go out with. Told him that his brooding over the Slayer having a date didn't give him the right to ruin hers. Oh, it was a glorious sight, Dru. You should have seen her; all bright eyes and fiery hair." Remembering Willow's reaction, he smiled. The stunned look that had been on Angel's face...

Dru giggled. "Oh... I bet she did! She's all unexpected fire and wisdom... such a brilliant person! She's a weeping tree, firm to keep those around her safe, and all bright shining fire, power and mischief just waiting. Be careful when you play with fairies, they don't use the same rules... you won't know what to expect from her. Maybe you'll dream his face, and I can watch your dreams? See the fire fairy yell at my angel?"

Spike looked at her, absolutely positive that Dru had said something important, hidden in all those words. Dru was like a riddle, only nobody could figure out the answer. Maybe there was no answer to Dru, maybe you just had to accept her and watch, trying to figure out the pieces as things happened.

"Right... so, why the books? Trying to find something in particular? Vampire sunblock perhaps?" He had to ask. Decades with this lovely madwoman and he still hadn't learned.

Dru giggled, prying open one of the boxes of all the assorted trinkets and mystical objects that she'd found over the decades. "No, silly. Why look for a recipe for silly lotion that smells like coconuts when all you need is the right magic ring? The little tree suggested it. Since the nasty gypsy made a fragile spell, we just have to make a new one. A spell that won't break, one that will keep the dragon from eating up my angel's soul."

Searching through the box, he could practically hear the puzzled frown with her next words. "Spikey, where did we put that Egyptian stuff? There was a lovely vase for insides, and some amulets carved up like little beetles... Do you remember what I did with it?"

"Yeah, Dru. You put the amulets in the fish-tank, poured a bit of water over them and told them to swim free. Then, you put some flowers in the urn and complained that they were dead. It's sitting in the corner, with all those dolls in the frilly dresses tied up in front of it. Probably nothing left of the flowers but thorns now." He had no idea why she would want those amulets. They'd been in a tray of stuff for sale from some grubby street vendor in Cairo, and she'd insisted that she had to get them, something about them having pretty sparkles and very old songs, whatever that had meant.

She pushed herself back out of the box and darted off towards her dolls, making a few little happy noises as she went. She had also found another bag of those little chocolates somewhere. He could hear her talking about tea and cakes... Apparently one of the dolls had been very naughty.

That reminded him... it might be nice to get some chocolates for his Willow. Surely she would like them, after all, what mortal girl didn't? Maybe a few flowers? Something all bright and cheerful, like she was. Yeah, some bright little flowers, all different colors, and a thing of chocolate.

End part 39.

Angel was trying to figure out what to do. Willow was dating Spike, and Spike was William. Willow had gotten involved with a vampire, one of his childer, who had been deliberately taught to be aggressive and ruthless, to show no mercy. William had become everything that Angelus had wanted in a childe. How could he possibly warn Willow about her danger? He didn't want to se her hurt.

Perhaps Giles would have a book on William, no, he was calling himself Spike now. If Giles had a book on Spike, possibly something filled with tales of bloodshed and mayhem and chaos... well, he wasn't supposed to take pride in that sort of thing anymore. He wasn't supposed to feel a glow of warmth inside when masters told their minions and fledglings stories about the Scourge of Europe. He wasn't supposed to feel a surge of dark and twisted pride at the reputation that his family had created with their violence. Yes, it had been created with bloodshed upon violence upon horror, but... well, a not so small part of him enjoyed the fact that he had proved his mortal father wrong, that he hadn't ended up a forgotten waste of flesh, that his name was remembered centuries after his father had been forgotten.

That wasn't the point. He knew that William had been right there, just as vicious as he had hoped. Perhaps if Willow learned just what her boyfriend was, how dark the shadows of his past were she would be careful? It wasn't that he didn't want Spike to be happy, it was just that he wanted Willow to be happy and safe as well. If she read about Spike's past, well, shouldn't that tell her to at the very least be careful?

He had no idea what else he could do. He had seen the Resolve Face when Willow had told him that she intended to find out where things were going between her and Spike. There would be no talking her out of it. He couldn't just take her away and lock her up to keep her from someone he didn't approve of. All he could do was worry, and watch to make certain that Spike didn't hurt her.

In the meantime, he would swing by her house, check to see if she was alright, and then go see if Giles had gotten any farther with looking into the curse. He wanted to avoid brooding over Buffy. He had decided that all he could do was brood over Willow and her involvement with Spike. He might as well go see if there was anything new to brood about involving his soul.

He hadn't brooded Before... when he was soul-less. He'd never been tormented with guilt and misery during his waking hours, never woken screaming from dreams of the tormented faces of his victims. Never neglected the needs or desires of his body from guilt, shame, or the fear of hurting someone. Rationally, he didn't want to loose his soul, or have it devoured, or whatever Dru meant by her words. While it would be so nice not to exist with the assorted torments and misery that his guilt brought, the price would be too high. Sunnydale would become the playground of a ruthless killer with decades of frustration. Angelus had never been particularly good at playing well with others.

He had worked himself into a solid brood, both about his past terrible actions and for wanting to be free of his guilt by the time he entered the library. He walked right in, slightly relaxed by the knowledge that Buffy wasn't there, he wouldn't have to explain who and what Willow's boyfriend was. Giles and Jenny were looking at something on the computer, their heads close together, murmuring things, bits and pieces about the spell. He walked up behind them, his footsteps not breaking the quiet of the library.

"Find anything useful?"

He tried to suppress the little feeling of amusement at their obviously startled reactions. He managed not to smile, but the feeling was still there. He could almost taste their momentary fear.

Giles shifted his glasses, and looked a bit uneasy. "Possibly. It appears that the curse isn't permanent. Guessing from the structure of it, there is probably a clause that would break the spell, although we still haven't got it clearly translated. The program did translate a phrase 'then his soul shall flee' which implies rather heavily... well, I'm certain you can guess. We're both hoping that the gypsies wouldn't have been so... hmmm careless, I think is the word."

Angel looked at Giles, considering the words carefully. "So, there's a phrase that makes it fairly certain that there's a loophole, some action or occurrence that would cause me to loose my soul and become a rampaging terror again? What in the hell were they thinking, putting something like that in there?"

Jenny gave a half smothered snort of laughter at that phrase. "We've said pretty much the same thing a few times ourselves. If the whole point was to... ahh... render you unlikely to kill people, putting in something that would unravel the spell seems... unwise at best. The only explanation that I could come up with is that it could be that the spell was to draining to cast without a clause, some possibility of breaking. I'd noticed something similar with some of the things I've cast, but nothing that I've even considered doing anything was on this scale before. Besides, if they had an entire group of people willing to participate in the ritual, that should have been able to compensate for the higher level of power needed to make it permanent."

"What do you mean, permanent?" Angel looked at the woman, part of him noticing again how much she resembled the gypsy girl, part of him purely focused on what she had just said.

She faltered, looking a bit uneasy at his scrutiny. "I mean, if they actually managed to call your soul back from... wherever... it wouldn't be very much more difficult to make it permanent than to just attach it. Obviously, they called it forth. But... this" she tapped the screen lightly, " seems to indicate that it isn't permanently bound. I can't think of any logical reason why they wouldn't have made it permanent."

"Permanent." He rolled the word over in his mouth, tasting the idea, considering the possibilities. Would that mean a permanent conscience, or more of these pain filled nightmares of his past misdeed for the rest of his existence? If his soul had been made permanent, would that mean he could brood less? For that matter, he hadn't been one for brooding in his mortal days, more the sort for drinking and wild parties. Where had the brooding misery come from? Had they put that into the curse instead of making his soul permanent? He sat there, considering the implications for a while.

End part 40.


	4. parts 41 to 54

Finally, after contemplating the idea of a permanent soul, and that the gypsies could have done that, but instead seemed to have put in some sort of escape clause, he decided that he needed to change the topic of his thoughts. Something else... right, more brooding about Willow and Spike. hmm, didn't Giles have a book about him, well, him when he was Angelus? If he did, that might cover far enough to include William. He could ask about that, and see what, if anything Giles and Jenny knew about Willow's boyfriend.

"Giles, what did you do with that one book, the Watcher's chronicle on Angelus?"

Giles looked at him, clearly not expecting the question. "It should be in the cage, on the bottom shelf inside the locked cupboard. I think I have the key here..." He paused, fishing around in the pocket of his jacket. "Yes, right here. It's the one with the green enamel on the top." With those words, he tossed the set of small keys to Angel.

Turning his back on the two mortals to search for that book, he spoke again, still trying to form a better plan of what to do about Willow and Spike. "What exactly did Willow say about her new boyfriend... ah, her date that is?"

Giles spoke first, his voice with the slightly flat tone that said he was trying to remember something precisely as it had been reported to him. "She said that they had gone to the concert at the beach, and that the music was okay and her date was wonderful. She told me that his name was Spike, and he was, as she put it, surprisingly sweet. He's also, according to Willow, originally from London. They met at a poetry reading at the Espresso Pump."

Jenny added a bit to the description. "She said he was about so tall, with a gesture to give us an idea. I'd say maybe five ten or so. She said he has blue eyes, sharp cheekbones and bleached blond hair. She also mentioned a bit of an English accent, but not the same accent as Rupert here."

"Hmmmm." Angel was listening as he searched. The physical description did match, as did the originally from London and being at the concert. He'd never tried to describe William as sweet, and Spike hadn't given the impression earlier. So far, things were matching up, and he wasn't happy about it. There was the book! He pulled it out, taking it back to the table with him. "Anything else that she said about him?"

"Just that she'd already done a bit of investigation so that there would be, I believe the way she put it was, there would be no rude 'he's a demon' surprises. I must admit that I am a bit worried, even if she has ruled out the paranormal or demonic threats, there are still all sorts of potential troubles when dating, and considering that the fellow calls himself Spike... I worry about her. She's practically a daughter to me." Giles was looking at some papers now, clearly splitting his focus between the research on the curse, and talking to Angel.

Angel reached out, steadying himself against the doorway of the cage. No surprises? Investigation? Did that mean that Willow knew that Spike was a vampire? What else could it mean? How much did Willow know about his past? Well, so much for thinking that the idea that her boyfriend was a vampire would make Willow back off. Neither of the mortals seemed to have noticed his shock, a welcome relief to him.

He left the library, absently calling a thanks to Giles and Jenny for all the research that they had already done on the problem. He hoped that someone could find a solution, or even just figure out what that clause was, so he could avoid letting it happen. Part of his mind was trying to figure out how Willow knew. How much did she know, and from where? What did this mean for the future?

Unfortunately, he only had questions, and not nearly enough answers. Perhaps he could learn some answers soon. He made a note to talk to Willow tomorrow.

End part 41.

Wednesday, Willow was looking through a book in the library immediately after school. Buffy had reported seeing some demons on her Tuesday patrol, describing them as 'big, gray, scaly, you know, demony'. Giles had sighed in dismay, and they had began searching books hunting for the demons in question. She and Xander both had piles of books in front of them. Finally, Giles had located the demons in question, learning that they could be killed by simple decapitation. Buffy had gone out to hunt them, armed with a sword. Xander had at the same time, offering to patrol with her, so that he could 'guard her back', but Buffy turned him down.

The library seemed much quieter. Willow put down the book on Demons of Spain, which had been brought out on the idea that as some of the earliest settlers of California had been Spanish, that possibly the demons had been of Spanish ancestry as well.

With a thoughtful feeling, she picked up another book. It was a slender volume, and had been squashed between two very large books on demons, the front cover having actually been wedged into some of the ornamentation on the top demon book. It wasn't actually about demons at all, and had a relatively simple title, 'Sorcery and Souls'. Willow hoped that it would have something inside that could be useful in the efforts of the search that she and Dru were doing to find or create a spell to anchor Angel's soul.

She opened the book, and began to read, her tablet handy for taking notes. As she read, the slender margin of time left before the sun set passed away, unnoticed. She was still there reading when Angel let himself into the library.

He walked closer, listening for any sign that the redhead was not alone in the library. It was silent except for the soft noises of her breathing, the occasional scratch of a pencil moving over paper, and the swish of turning pages. He felt that same little impulse stir, the one that had him sneaking up on Giles all the time. How would Willow react? There was only one way to find out.

"What are you reading?"

Willow let out a short but piercing shriek, spinning around to face him, her face pale, eyes wide. He could hear her heart racing, smell the scent of her fear... He could also clearly see the pencil firmly clutched in her hand, slender, sharply pointed, and wooden. The chair toppled to the floor with a clatter.

He held his hands up and out in a gesture meant to make him look harmless, and tried to smile reassuringly. Part of him was amused by her reaction, so much more vocal than Giles or Jenny. Part of him was considering the idea that she might actually be willing to try to attack with that pencil. "It's only me. You can calm down. I'd really hate to be done in with a pencil."

"You... you startled me. I hadn't realized that it was dark out already. Umm... where did Giles go?" She was visibly forcing herself to calm down, and she had lowered the pencil, so that it was no longer aimed at him.

Angel shrugged slightly. "I didn't see him when I came in. Actually, I was looking for you. There were a few questions that I had."

He moved around, picking up the chair she'd been sitting in, quietly sitting in the chair across the table from her. "Promise, I'm still one of the good guys."

Willow blushed slightly, and put her pencil down beside the tablet. She fidgeted with it's placement for a bit, eventually deciding that she had tried to stall long enough. Looking up at him, she asked "What did you want to know?"

Angel smiled slightly. That was just the sort of opening he was hoping for. "Giles said you did a bit of investigating on your new boyfriend. Something about not wanting any demony surprises. So, how much did you learn when you looked into this?"

She looked at him, clearly attempting to glare, and grumbled, something about vampires and going right to the heart of things. "It's actually because of you, well that and Buffy. Remember when Dru first showed up and gave you the whole cryptic dragon soul message? Well, umm Buffy saw you talking to her and got jealous. We came in here, trying to find a name for this mystery woman that was talking to you. I found her picture in the Angelus Chronicle... ummm I guess the night you met her, I met Spike in the coffee shop. I just thought he was... umm he sort of ended up sitting with me because there wasn't any other seats open, and I figured I wouldn't see him again. But then I did see him again, and after that then it occurred to me that he has the old kind of eyes, like you do... oh, not that you look old, but your eyes don't match your face, and that didn't sound right either."

She was blushing, and staring at her hands, which were sliding over each other like an ever shifting knot. "So, I thought since he had that sort of look to his eyes, maybe he was a vampire, so I looked through the Angelus book, since I umm sort of borrowed it to look and see what you were like before the soul. umm I don't think I want you to loose your soul, Angel. I found him at the end, or I found a picture of William, who was the youngest of your family, and I thought there was a resemblance, so I traced over the picture, changed the shirt, shortened and paled the hair, and left off the glasses, and it was Spike, which meant that he was the William in there, and... I'm babbling again."

Angel sat there, tying to decipher that long explanation. Buffy had seen Dru talking to him. Willow had helped Buffy find out who Dru was. She had taken the Angelus Chronicle because she had wanted to know what would happen if he lost his soul... and she'd found William. He'd deciphered that much. But he still had more questions. "Willow, if you know... why are you seeing him? And does he know that you know?" He winced slightly at the way that had sounded. Cryptic was better sometimes.

She looked at him, as if debating with herself on how to answer him. "Angel, he seems to like me. He hasn't tried anything that would hurt me, not even once. I'm not going to hold it against him that he's dead. I don't think he knows that I know, I'm waiting to see if he's going to tell me. I've spent to much time hoping that someone would notice me, would want me to be worried about the fact that he sunburns in a really dramatic way and has a liquid diet... Angel, can vampires... I mean, do vampires eat food? Do you get anything out of it?"

He would never understand how her mind worked. She had been saying that Spike hadn't tried anything, that she wanted to be wanted and didn't care if he couldn't do daylight, and then she was asking about vampires and food. He had no idea how the topics were related, if they even were. "Food? Minions don't, some fledglings and masters do, mostly so they can blend better. As for do we get anything out of it.. unless it's rare meat, just the taste. And only in small portions."

She smiled, as if pleased by something. "Okay, now, do we have the whole I'm dating Spike thing cleared? I think I'd like to go home now, I hadn't realized how late it had gotten."

"Fair enough. I'll walk you home."

End part 42.

Angel was quiet the whole trip to Willow's house. Glancing over, Willow could see that he was brooding again. Willow wondered just what he was brooding about this time: Her involvement with Spike, Buffy seeing Scott, the possibility that he could loose his soul, or the same old 'I've killed so many people' brood that they were all used to seeing. Maybe some combination of those choices. When she looked at it that way, she could understand why he brooded so much.

Eventually, they reached the house, which was dark. Angel frowned at it, as if it had somehow annoyed him. Willow pulled out her keys, unlocking the door. Turning to look at him, she gave a slight smile. "I know you're worried. It's sweet that you care, but... I'm going to do this. Thanks for walking me home, Angel."

She watched as Angel turned and walked away, clearly unhappy about something. Shaking her head slightly, she walked back into the house. He certainly brooded a lot, maybe there was a clause about that in the gypsy spell. If she and Dru had to make a new spell, she wanted to leave out anything designed to give him more than his fair share of pain and guilty misery.

Slightly distracted, Willow walked to her room, flipping on the light as she entered. Looking up, she froze in surprise. Placed beside her computer was a basket arrangement of flowers, little to medium sized blooms in a brilliant array of color and shape. How did those get in here? She found herself walking towards them, a big smile on her face. Inhaling the scent of flowers, the first flowers that anyone had ever given her, she sighed happily. Flowers... someone had given her flowers.

Looking over at her bed, she noticed there was something sitting there, a box, perhaps as thick as a textbook, dark in color, and wrapped with a deep red ribbon. She put the flowers down and walked over, curious as to what else could have been left for her. It was a box of chocolates, expensive assorted chocolates with nuts, or caramel, or cherries, or creme fillings.

Willow bounced slightly, giving this little squeak of pure happiness. The only person that it could have been was Spike. He had given her flowers and chocolates... wasn't that just too sweet? Oh, he was definitely worth keeping, and it looked like maybe he wanted a relationship with her... something serious. Flowers and chocolate, he'd given her coffee as well.

Over at the not so abandoned factory, Dru grinned. She could hear Spikey growling in the other room. He'd gone in with some paper and a pen, and now he was all growly. It was almost funny, what could the paper do to make him upset? He could be silly sometimes.

She picked up the stack of paper that she had carefully written. There were passages from her books and scrolls, notes on some of the longer chapters about how to properly shape a spell, and a few spells that she knew to bind something not solid to something that was solid. She would go talk to the little tree, maybe they could make some progress finding a nice solid spell for her angel.

She packed everything into a tapestry bag she'd bought, one with a picture of lovely little butterfly girls sitting on big flowers, all happy and smiling as they had tea. Frowning slightly, she went over to the tank where she had put the amulets, and fished out two of them. One was carved out of a pale almost white stone, and the other was a deep red. Oh yes, white for a soul, and red for blood, they would be perfect.

She headed down the street, off to see the little tree. The tree was a very sweet person, made her feel all welcome and accepted. She would be a perfect addition to the family. She would also be good for Spikey. As she walked, she listened to the stars, singing pretty songs in her head.

She saw the big owl, walking down the street. He was holding the hand of someone, a woman with dark hair. She looked more closely, listening carefully to what the stars sang. It was so much easier when it was Miss Edith whispering things to her. A person could get lost in the songs from the stars. They whispered that the woman with the owl had some magic, that she could make her spells work through the magic box of secrets. They whispered that she had a secret, and then they sang more, telling her what the woman was hiding.

Why were there always gypsies lurking near her daddy? First they had taken him away, and now there was another one here, spying on him. This wasn't the nasty old hag that had taken her daddy though. This one was younger, and used different magic's, but she had the same blood in her.

She would have to talk to the little tree about this. She couldn't keep the angel safe all of the time, and if the gypsy were a danger, the tree needed to know.

End part 43.

Willow was sitting in her room, savoring one of the chocolates. It was dark chocolate over this almost sweet nut, and it was absolutely wonderful. She was distracted from her chocolaty rapture by something pinging off her bedroom window. The sound was repeated, a sharp pinging noise. Yep, definitely something hitting her window, some sort of small stone.

She got up, moving towards the window. Was it Spike, coming over to visit her? Something dangerous? Buffy wanting to gush over her date with Scott? Xander wanting emergency help with his math and not wanting to use the phone? There was only one way to find out. She looked out through the window, using the light of the half moon overhead to try to see.

Dru was standing there, with a bag held in one hand, holding something in the other. Seeing Willow, she dropped whatever had been in her hand, and waved, grinning at Willow. Smiling slightly, Willow opened the door, looking at the dark haired vampiresss that had become her friend. "Hey Dru. What's up? What do you have in the bag, and did you see the? Spike gave me flowers!"

Dru smiled, moving towards the door. "I didn't see them, he got them after he went away. He's being all growly over some paper, I left him to be by himself. Growly bears get no cake. May I see the flowers? Oh, I have some things that might help keep the angel's soul here."

Willow giggled, trying to imagine why Spike would be growling at paper. "Sure, come in. They're sooo pretty, nobody's ever given me flowers before."

Dru followed Willow into her bedroom, looking around at everything with curiosity. She saw the bright assortment of flowers and went over, looking quite impressed by them. There was a tank of bright fish, and it was with a trace of envy that she noticed that the tree's little fishies swam around.

"Little tree, why is your house all quiet? Is everybody asleep? Oh, I saw the big owl tonight, he was walking down the street with the young gypsy. Not the old nasty one that took my daddy away, but a young gypsy, and she makes spells with her box of secrets, like yours over there." Dru gestured at Willow's computer, her expression serious.

Willow sat down, trying to puzzle out Dru's meaning. She wasn't even aware that her words were spoken out loud. "The big owl is Giles... and if he was out walking... Miss Calander? She'd the computer teacher, and a techno-pagan, but... hmm spells on the box of secrets. I guess that's better than what Giles calls it. As for the house, it's all quiet because... it's empty. My parents aren't here. They won't be for a while, not another few weeks at least."

"He gave me a box of chocolates as well. Would you like one?" She held out the opened box towards Dru. After a few moments inspection, Dru picked out a roundish one, milk chocolate with sort of a wave pattern over it.

Smiling, Dru nibbled at it delicately, clearly enjoying every little bite. When it had all been devoured, she looked up, licking the last trace of chocolate from her lips. "I found some things. Little broken bits of stories and wisdom. I thought with them we might be able to make a strong spell, not like the fragile one the nasty old gypsy used. You are a fire fairy, I can see the power swirling around you, all gold and red and sparkling, like firelight on the water. We can work together to make the spell hold tightly... I wrote down a few ways to do that, see? I have pages for you to look over now."

Willow took the pages, noting that Dru had very pretty handwriting. She was about to start searching though them, when she remembered the other thing she'd wanted to ask Dru about. "Umm Dru? Do you think... could the nasty old gypsy have put in something to make Angel brood all the time? Because, if she did, we definitely want to leave that part out when we make our spell... and when did we decide that I was casting it? I'm not a witch, I'm just... Willow."

Dru tilted her head, looking at Willow. Her fingers were twining through her hair, curling a lock around her finger and then unwinding it slowly. "She might have, the mean old thing. She wanted my daddy to suffer and be sad. I don't want something like that in our spell either. And you have to help. I'm not strong enough to cast something that big by myself. You are the fire fairy, all fairies have magic powers."

Willow blinked a few times, trying to wrap her mind around the idea that she, Willow Rosenberg, had magical powers. That Dru didn't just want her to help write up a spell, but to cast it. it was entirely unexpected, but so was her friendship with Dru, and her what exactly did she have with Spike? He'd given her flowers, that made it a relationship, right? Deciding she liked the sound of that, Willow smiled, having decided that if she could be friends with Dru, and in a relationship with Spike, she could cast a spell to anchor Angel's soul.

She settled down to look over Dru's papers, hoping that there was enough logic and pattern to the whole theory of spell writing that she wouldn't be too much of a hindrance with that. She found that it actually wasn't any harder to follow than most of the ways to fight demons. She was gaining confidence that she could do this, at least, as long as it didn't have to be in a foreign language.

End part 44.

School on Thursday had been rather annoying for Willow, which was an unusual situation. Xander had asked her to help him review his math during her one study hall, so she had agreed, only to discover that when he'd said review, what he'd really meant was 'help! I don't understand any of this and I have a test on it today!' Xander had been ignoring his classes. For some reason, he'd expected Willow to be able to make up for his non-study habits.

Buffy had spent most of lunch talking about how wonderful her date with Scott had been last night, and a mention of Owen giving her a poem. She had finished with a little query of 'why hadn't she seen Angel lately?' Buffy had apparently been juggling Scott and Owen, and slaying, and had been annoyed that Angel wasn't lurking in wait for a moment of her time. Willow had managed not to scream at her friend, but the temptation had been there. She had stopped by the library on her way home, telling Giles that she'd already made plans for tonight, but she was still working on that 'special project' and she would be in tomorrow to discuss it.

Willow had gone home, changing her shirt for the evening. She was hoping that she could go watch that movie with Spike. Hoping to pass the time before she went to meet him, she finished her homework. Treating herself to a few of the chocolates before she left, Willow went out the door to meet Spike at the Espresso Pump. He was really sweet, and thoughtful and considerate. It occurred to Willow that she was falling for Spike.

She was waiting, perched at one of the small tables and sipping hot coffee. To the right, she could recognize Harmony and a few of the other popular girls, alternating between sighing over Owen and catching up on the high school gossip. One of them noticed her there, and made a few snide remarks about Willow being too much of a loser to have a date, and how only geeks and professors went to poetry readings alone. She was trying to ignore them.

Her evening brightened considerably when Spike came into the building. Spike sauntered in, his whole body language projecting confidence and a hint of danger. Tonight, he was wearing a black leather long coat over his jeans and tee shirt, and he was just the perfect picture of the bad boy. She could hear the popular girls whispering about him, trying to figure out who he was. She smiled slightly, hoping that they wouldn't pester Spike in front of her.

He dropped into the seat across the small table from her, smiling in greeting. She could tell that he could hear the girls behind them, and he looked like he was planning something. "Sorry I'm late, Willow luv. I ran into a spot of traffic. We'd planned to see that movie, think tonight would work for it?"

She could feel her mood brightening as he sat there. He still wanted to see the movie with her. Wonderful. Smiling she answered him. "The movie sounds great. And the chocolates were delicious, thank you."

They could both hear half smothered noises of disbelief and jealousy from the girls. Spike grinned as they got out of the seats, and then leaned forward, catching her lips with his own in a kiss that soon became quite passionate. It broke in the end because Willow needed to breathe. There was only stunned silence as they left, his arm around Willow's shoulders, her head leaning on him.

That kiss had left Willow feeling amazed. They'd kissed Tuesday, but those had been much smaller, more tame than that had been. That kiss had been an expression of passion and desire, making Willow feel like Spike was trying to memorize the taste of her, to devour her lips with his own. She felt as if she should be floating. Instead, they walked out of the building, and he opened the passenger door of his car for her, assisting her into it as if she were a grand lady.

The cheerleaders had no idea what to think. Shy, mousy, little Willow Rosenberg had not only been kissed by the most incredibly sexy guy, they had left the building together. There was no mistaking the way his eyes had lit up when he saw her, or doubting the intensity of that kiss. How in the world had Willow got herself someone like that? He was sexy, and older, and sexy and dangerous, and he had a sexy accent, and did they mention how incredibly hot he'd looked?

End part 45.

Willow was still smiling as they went into the theater. He'd kissed her... with quite a lot of enthusiasm. She'd liked it a lot, actually. Now, they were going to see a movie, with period costumes, and fabulous sets, and also a good deal of violence. But, since it was safe violence, the sort that was on screen and therefore couldn't spill over and swamp Willow, that was okay.

Spike bought the tickets, and then he bought them each a drink, and there was a bag of popcorn, which he nearly drowned in hot butter flavoring. What was in Butter flavor anyhow? Did it have any similarity to real butter? Actually, there are some questions better left unanswered. They found a pair of seats, towards the back, and under the overhang of the projection booth.

They sat down, hands soon finding each other, and Willow tucked her feet up, leaning on his shoulder. The movie started, and they were soon pulled into the world of the movie, with swordfights and horseback riding, long gowns for the women, and impressive castles decorating the scenery. There were a few points in the movie that startled her, and she would jump, grabbing Spike's arm, and then offer a small, hesitant smile, in something, not quite embarrassment, or apology, because she rather liked clinging to him.

Eventually, the movie ended, and they drove back to Willow's house. Somehow, she and Spike ended up sitting on the back porch, kissing each other, hands brushing cheeks and shoulders, moving closer until Willow found herself sitting on Spike's lap. Willow could feel her stomach fluttering, part nerves, part anticipation. Spike kissed along her cheek, nibbling slightly at the corner of her jaw, encouraged by the little noises of pleasure that Willow was making. He trailed down the side of her neck, and Willow was certain that as he kissed along her throat, the skin on her neck became more sensitive, more receptive to whatever was happening. She felt herself melting against him, and she could feel a gradual change in his teeth as he played with her neck. They became a bit sharper, less even. She knew that he had shifted to his vampire features.

Suddenly, he stopped, turning his face away from her throat, resting his chin on her head. She could tell that he was trying not to let her see him, not to find out his 'secret'. At this point, she didn't care, it had felt so good to have him nibbling on her neck. Her voice, when she spoke was high and breathy. "Spike? Is something... wrong? You stopped..."

She could feel him swallow once, then again, his throat moving against her cheek. "No, Willow luv, nothing's... wrong. Just sort of remembered something that I should... umm... probably mention to you."

She smiled, wondering if he could feel the expression. "You realize you're stammering? It must be something... you can tell me."

"Ahh... you know how I'm a bit older than you? It's actually more than a little bit.. and.... oh bloody hell this is harder than I thought. Red, the thing is, I'm a... I'm not exactly... well, I'm a vampire."

She could feel his arms tighten around her, as if he were afraid she would try to run away from him. Instead, she curled one arm around him, pulling herself in closer to him in a sort of hug. "I'm glad you told me. Can I see?"

He loosened his grip on her slightly, and she leaned back, not trying to get away, but simply wanting to see his other face. His vampire features. She felt a small stirring of something, but it didn't last. She looked at him, with his golden eyes and sharp teeth, and saw her Spike. She raised her other hand, trembling slightly, and ran her fingers over his brow, tracing over his scar. Her words were a bare whisper, a breath given shape. "You are my Spike. All of you, man and vampire, if you'll let me... be mine?"

His eyes widened in surprise, and he made a small gasping noise, as if her words were a complete surprise to him. She continued to run her fingers over him, wanting to learn this shape of his face as well. She met his eyes, no more nervous than she had been before. He was trembling under her fingers, and then this odd vibration started, with a faint rumbling noise... it was with a bit of startlement that Willow realized that Spike was purring.

"It doesn't bother you? Not going to run off to the Slayer or Angel? Ohh, that feels good..." Spike's voice had dropped slightly, and taken on a huskier tone.

"Why should I have a problem with you having hmm a few different major health concerns than I do? You haven't hurt me, haven't even tried, why should I want anything bad to happen? I've wanted someone to want me for so long... as for Angel, he's a vampire to, just in case anyone was trying to forget. I read up on him... he's got a Watcher's Chronicle for Angelus and his family. I recognized your picture... you were William, and your hair was darker, and there was a bit of curl to it." She ran her fingers through his hair as she spoke, mussing the smooth shape of it.

"Let me in? Let me get to know you, who you were, how you became the person you are now?" She looked at him, hoping that he could read the sincerity in her eyes.

End part 46.

She'd looked marvelous all night. The movie had been pretty good, even better with her giving these adorable little squeaks and grabbing his arm every time the cannons fired, or something collapsed. So, when the movie was over, it was understandable that Spike didn't want the evening to be over. He'd looked into her jewel green eyes, and he could feel himself falling deeper for her every moment. She was looking back with this expression, such a tempting mix of innocence and desire.

They'd ended up sitting on the back porch, enjoying the night breeze and kissing. Soft touches and gentle caresses, and he'd ended up with his Willow, snuggled onto his lap, all warm and alive and so incredibly tempting. They'd been kissing, and he'd found himself kissing along her pulse, taking tiny nibbles, playing with her throat, enjoying the sounds of pleasure that she was making. He could almost taste her blood, and it would be so sweet...

Oh bloody hell. His face had shifted. He wasn't simply kissing Willow, no longer simply bringing her pleasure, he was a few moments shy of tasting her. From marking her as his in the eyes of every single vampire in the area... He hadn't told her. He hadn't told her that he wasn't a mortal like she was, hadn't told her that he existed on blood, that he would never grow old, could never go to the sunny beach with her. He pulled himself from her tempting throat, putting his chin on her head, trying to get a hold of himself, to pull his emotions and instincts back under control.

Willow spoke, her voice high and breathy. "Spike? Is something... wrong? You stopped..."

Wrong? He managed to restrain his first impulse, which was to say that the only problem was that he wanted to claim her as his and taste her sweetness, and show her so many things that she'd never imagined... He couldn't tell her that. He swallowed those words back down. What if she was afraid that he didn't want her, that he had stopped because of some foolishness... He swallowed again, and this time managed to say a few words. "No, Willow luv, nothing's... wrong. Just sort of remembered something that I should... umm... probably mention to you."

"You realize you're stammering? It must be something... you can tell me." He could feel her breath against his throat as she spoke. It was having this incredible effect on him, making him want to carry her inside and ravish her on her bed, make her scream his name in pleasure over and over...

"Ahh... you know how I'm a bit older than you? It's actually more than a little bit.. and.... oh bloody hell this is harder than I thought. Red, the thing is, I'm a... I'm not exactly.. well, I'm a vampire." He had to explain, he had to tell her. Even if it was a risk of her panicking, of her being afraid of him, the small chance that she could deal with that was worth it. The only other option was the certainty of losing her.

He had tightened his hold on her, wanting to have her in his arms one last time, certain that she would pull away in fear, or dismay. But she didn't, instead she curled one arm around him, pulling herself in closer to him in a sort of hug. "I'm glad you told me. Can I see?"

He loosened his grip on her slightly, and she leaned back, not trying to get away, but simply looking at him, with his golden eyes and sharp teeth, and raised her other hand, trembling slightly, and ran her fingers over his brow, tracing over his scar. Her words were a bare whisper, a breath given shape. "You are my Spike. All of you, man and vampire, if you'll let me... be mine?"

He could feel everything inside of him still with surprise, and he made a small gasping noise that shifted into a low purr as she continued to run her fingers over his shifted features. "It doesn't bother you? Not going to run off to the Slayer or Angel? Ohh, that feels good..." Spike's voice had dropped slightly, and taken on a huskier tone.

"Why should I have a problem with you having hmm a few different major health concerns than I do? You haven't hurt me, haven't even tried, why should I want anything bad to happen? I've wanted someone to want me for so long... as for Angel, he's a vampire to, just in case anyone was trying to forget. I read up on him... he's got a Watcher's Chronicle for Angelus and his family. I recognized your picture... you were William, and your hair was darker, and there was a bit of curl to it." She ran her fingers through his hair as she spoke, mussing the smooth shape of it.

"Let me in? Let me get to know you, who you were, how you became the person you are now?" She looked at him, her eyes filled with hope and desire and trust, so beautiful in the moonlight.

There was no way on earth that he could have refused her. He had wanted her forever. He had even wrote poetry about her, she had moved into his mind and heart, taken up residence inside of him. "You're already inside me, luv. I could no more refuse you that I could take up sunbathing. If you'll have me, I'm yours. All I ask in return is you. Everything I am for all that you are."

He kissed her, no longer worried that she would run from his golden eyes. He wanted her so much that it hurt, but it was a delicious sort of pain. She was kissing him back, unafraid of him, running her tongue over his teeth, pressing her body close to his, so close that he could feel her heartbeat against his chest. One of his teeth caught her tongue, just a little, but enough to cut the edge, enough to let her blood flow into his mouth. He could taste her, sweet with kindness and compassion, spicy with some sort of power, and mixed with innocence. Willow's power tasted of ginger and fire, like describing the flavor of lightning, not like the power of a vampire, which tasted of shadows and secrets and ages.

The realization was amazing to him. Willow had never given herself to a mortal lover, had never been shown the joys of passion. He would be her only teacher in such joys. The only one to know her passions, the color of her eyes when she was lost in ecstasy. No mortal had looked long enough to see her true beauty, no mortal had found her first. As much as it would be a torment to him, and a test of his patience, it would be best to take that a bit more slowly.

"Unless you want me to ravish you until the sun rises, I should go, my Willow. I'll be here tomorrow, as soon as I can after the sun sets. I think... I want to talk to you about Claiming, and what it would entail... Oh, luv, I want to claim you so that every vampire can tell you're mine. But, you should know what it means first." He moved to stand up, still holding her in his arms, and something crackled in his coat, something papery, and he remembered.

"Here, let me carry you in, I have a present for you." He carried her inside, and to her bedroom, removing her shoes after he placed her on the bed. She was laying on the multi colored comforter, her hair spread like a crimson halo around her, eyes sparkling with desire and curiosity.

He reached into the inside pocket of his duster, and pulled out three sheets of paper, placing them beside her flowers. "Those are for you, Willow. I'd... best go now. Dream of me?"

Seeing her sweet smile, he turned to leave, blowing her a kiss goodnight. Walking out the door from her was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his existence. Tomorrow, he promised himself. Tomorrow, after I've explained Claiming, and how that works, then there can be pleasure until dawn. There will be, he could promise her that.

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough for Spike.

End part 47.

Angel was walking and brooding, again. Willow knew that Spike was a vampire, and she was still was willing to see what they could have. She honestly seemed to want to give him a chance. Even knowing what sort of things he'd done, even knowing that he'd been of the family of Angelus, part of the Scourge of Europe... it still mattered more to Willow that Spike liked her. She was willing to accept Spike, man and vampire.

Buffy... she either ignored the fact that he was a vampire, they argued about it, or she claimed that it was fate, screwing with her life again. Of course, she hadn't been doing that lately, she'd been to busy with some mortal. Some mortal, and she hadn't even bothered to tell him what was going on... and exactly what was going on anyhow? Had she decided to replace him with the mortal? Was she trying to have them both? He wouldn't stand for that, and if he ever got a chance to talk to Buffy about it, he wanted to get some answers.

It had barely even registered that he was growling from his frustration. Giles and Jenny were trying to learn what they could about his soul curse. Buffy... God only knew what Buffy was thinking about the whole mess. Maybe that was why she was spending her time with Scott? Because the mortal boy couldn't loose his soul? He had just managed to find a semblance of acceptance from everyone when this mess happened. "Grrrr."

"Why all growly, my angel? Have you been skipping meals?"

Dru's voice broke him from his thoughts. He hadn't even paid attention to the feeling of her approaching. She was looking at him, her dark eyes curious, carrying a bag of.. were those M&M's that Dru held? It was an M&M bag, so one could at least hope that it still held the little chocolate candies.

"Dru. I've been thinking about what you said. About the dragon eating my soul. They haven't been happy thoughts. Maybe I could just kill this dragon and make everything simple again..." Dru - the whole confusing mess had started when she came back into his life. How she had known, but she had visions of the future. That was one of the reasons why he - Angelus, no, he had turned her. What vision had she seen?

She giggled, somehow amused by his words of killing the dragon. "Ohh, I'd like it if you killed the dragon. So would Spikey... nasty yellow dragon would try to keep him away from his tree. The nasty old gypsy made her spell all fragile... she wanted it to be able to break. But if it did, there would be fire and screams... you would be a very bad daddy then. I don't want a bad daddy, we already had a bad mummy. But don't worry, I'm here to help you. I want to make everything all better. Spikey will get his little tree. The fire fairy promised... she will help me make a new spell, one that will make your shiny soul stay with you forever... she said it would stick like superglue and bubblegum. But we want all that nasty dark guilt to go away, all you do is mope."

Dru was working with a fire fairy? Was this an actual fairy or a person? Spike wanted his tree... suddenly, that clicked into focus for him. Dru said Spike wanted a tree, Spike was seeing Willow, and there was a type of tree called a willow tree, which made the little tree Willow Rosenberg. Trying to decipher Dru was going to give him a headache. Wait... what had Dru said about the spell? "Dru, what do you mean, the old gypsy made the spell fragile?"

Smiling as if he had just said something very clever, Dru stepped closer, her fingers trailing from his ribcage up his chest. They traced little patterns on the side of his neck, sending a shiver of desire through him. "I talked to my friend, the fire fairy. She had papers from the box of secrets... words about the spell the old gypsy used. She made it fragile, so that it would break in fire and gold, the ties that kept your soul would burn away and your soul would fly... fly away on dark wings."

She leaned in, her body brushing against his as she whispered into his ear. "The fire fairy is going to help me. She said if the gypsy spell is bad, why not make a new one to hold you all together? We will make you all better, hold you in one piece for all the days of forever. She promised me that she would help. She won't go back on her word."

Reaching up, Dru kissed him, tasting the sorrow on his lips, her arms wrapping around his body. Angel could feel himself responding, and he found himself kissing back, almost the way he would have kissed her decades before. Her lips tasted of chocolate, and the faintest hint of blood, and she was filled with passion. He felt breathless, as if a gaping chasm of possibility had just opened in front of him.

Dru looked at him, her eyes full of sorrow and promise. "I can't stay right now. It's too soon for any naughty games... if we play now, it would be bad. I won't be a dark dragon, I want to be a good girl. Don't worry, my angel. We will make our new spell, and you can be mine again... I can make you happy."

Dru slipped away into the shadows, vanishing from his sight. Her words remained, leaving him with new questions. He was only certain of a few things. Dru still wanted him. She knew that Spike wanted Willow. Last, Dru had said that she had someone that was trying to help her find a way to make his soul permanent.

He raised his fingers to his lips, still tasting Dru. She had kissed him, had wanted him. She still wanted him, even after he had disappeared so many years ago. There was also no way that he could deny that he still wanted her, his body still craved the touch of her body, still wanted to feel her smooth skin. Would she still taste of honey and secrets?

Best to go home before the night got any more confusing. Angel hurried back to his apartment, puzzling over Dru's words. He was also remembering the way she had kissed him, full of passion for him. This was not what he had expected to find on his walk.

End part 48.

Angel had been very disturbed by Dru's words. They had been unsettling, and he was certain that they were very important. He had tried to get in touch with Giles after he'd made it to his apartment, but there had been no answer at the library, or at the Watcher's home number. He had reluctantly settled for writing down Dru's words, then underlining some of them that he wanted to talk about.

Finally satisfied that he had marked down all the important phrases, Angel folded the paper and set it aside to take to talk to Giles. He drank some of the blood from his refrigerator, purchased from the slaughterhouse. The blood was from the slaughtered cattle, and he could tell that it was mixed, from several of the animals. The flavor was dull, given only a bare hint of flavor by the confused fear that the cattle had know before they had died. It was sufficient to sustain him, that had to be enough.

He dreamed, reliving nights of hunting and killing, this time caring about the fear and pain on the faces of his victims. The remembered screams and pleas for mercy stung deep into him, causing him to toss and turn, restless and uneasy as he slept. He remembered Dru finding William, remembered teaching him to kill, to cause pain first to add that extra flavor to the blood of their prey.

They had been a family. They would kill for each other, to keep each other safe, to keep each other happy. One of the earliest things they had done after bringing William into the family had been to find the woman that had crushed his heart. They had found the golden Cecily, making her plead and beg for death before killing her. Her blood had carried such an interesting blend of fear and despair and denial as they had all drained her...

He remembered Rosa Kalderash, how he and Darla had played cruel games with the girl before killing her. How her family had retaliated with powerful magic. He remembered the feeling of alien power forcing its way into him, a burning pain and pressure. How he had fallen to the ground near them, looked up in confusion, seeing the whole clan staring at him, their eye filled with suspicion, grief and anger. Old dreams, the pain well known to him, familiar.

Something was different. Tonight, the clan of gypsies had another with them. Jenny Calander was there, her features blending with the gypsies easily, as if she was one of them, only her clothing making her easily discernable. She was looking at him, the only one who's features were not twisted with anger and grief. She moved towards him, her expression serious. She spoke, but the words were not her own, and her voice was overlapped, as if the words were spoken at the same time by Jenny and also by an old woman.

"Angelus... your soul has been bound to you. We have bound it with ties of anger and guilt, that you will suffer for your actions. You will know pain and guilt, despair and the memory of every foul act that you have committed. Such is the vengeance of the Kalderash clan."

He awoke, gasping for unneeded air, the taste of fear sour in his mouth. That hadn't been the normal dream. He had always dreamed things as they had happened, he had never dreamed the people of now standing at his judgment all those years ago. She had looked like one of them.

Angel did not try to sleep again that day. He showered, hoping to wash away the memories under pounding water. Trying to find something to do that was not contemplating his past, he cleaned his apartment. Eventually, he gave up his useless efforts to prevent himself from brooding over his dream. Nothing was working very well anyhow. He decided to head through the tunnels to the high school. He would talk to Giles, possibly Jenny as well. He put the paper in his pocket, so that they could join him in being confused about Dru's words.

He climbed into the basement of the school, emerging from the sewer access. While he wasn't at all certain why there needed to be an entry to the sewers in the basement of the school, it did make things convenient for him to drop in. The school was quiet, telling him that classes were over for the day. There might still be some of the athletes here, practicing outside, but most of the people had gone home.

Giles was in the library, putting away some of the equipment that he used to help Buffy train. He looked a bit rumpled. Angel walked into the library, wondering if they would be startled to see him, or if they were starting to get the idea that he would be checking on this often until they figured out what was going on with his soul. Willow was sitting at the computer, apparently referencing something, perhaps for the soul curse, perhaps for a school project.

"By chance do you know where Jenny is?" He spoke, pitching his voice to carry into the room. Maybe his dream was just a new torment, maybe there was no deeper meaning...

Willow looked at him, her eyes bright with questions, as usual. She turned in her chair, twisting so that she was facing him before she spoke. "She was trying to run that translation program in the computer lab. I think she loaded her program on all the computers and had each one working on a portion of the text, on the idea that it would go faster that way. You look awfully pa... ummm I mean, are you okay?"

He almost laughed... Willow had just barely stopped herself from saying that he looked pale. She had Spike's scent all over her... he was torn between wanting to know what they had done, did he need to protect her? and not wanting to know. The computer lab... well, it would probably be easier to use a computer translation in there. He sat at the table, feeling tired suddenly.

"I didn't sleep well. I ran into Dru last night. She said some things... odd things. And... I spent a lot of time thinking about how that encounter went, and trying to analyze it." Best not to bring up the kiss. He decided to leave that out.

Giles looked at him, the man's expression showing curiosity and worry. "What exactly is normal for Drusilla? Do you think these odd things pertain to the current question about your soul?"

Looking at Giles and Willow, Angel nodded. "She was definitely referring to the soul for part of it. I'm not certain if her comment about Spikey wanting a tree had any connection to this or not. I said that maybe I should just kill this dragon and make things simple again, but she just laughed about that." Willow made an odd muffled noise at that, as if she was trying not to comment. He made a mental note to talk to her about that later. "Dru also said that she had help."

Willow's eyes widened, and he could tell that she was slightly apprehensive. Giles looked curious, and made that little hmm noise. It was obvious that neither of them knew what he was going to say, but they were both interested. He felt a bit of gleeful anticipation.

"She said that there was a fire fairy helping her. This fairy was going to help her make a new spell to hold my soul in place. There was also something about the gypsy spell being fragile, and bringing dark guilt. There was something about the dragon burning away the ties of my soul... I think she meant that the dragon could break the spell." He frowned as he recalled something else Dru had said. "She also accused me of moping."

Willow had gasped when he mentioned Dru's words about the dragon burning the ties of his soul. Not an expression of pure surprise, or even surprise and concern, like what Giles had done. No, Willow had sounded like something had fallen into place for her. Perhaps there was something that Spike had told her? No, she had said that Spike hadn't told her that he was a vampire, how would he bring up Dru and the soul spell?

Giles frowned, as if in thought. "I think perhaps I'd best go see if Jenny has made any progress on translating that spell. It sounds like it could be very important."

Giles hurried out of the library, muttering about dragons and burning. He could almost feel the tension radiating from the watcher. Angel was left in the library with Willow. He looked at her, and spoke.

" I think we need to talk, Willow."

End part 49.

Willow looked at Angel, her eyes wide, and everything about her nervous. She glanced at the computer before looking back at him. "Ummm what did you want to talk about, Angel?"

He smiled, wondering if she knew just how uneasy she looked. How worried. "Why, I want to know what you know about Dru and her dragon warning, of course."

He could see her pale a few more shades, and she swallowed a few times. She closed her eyes, as if trying to calm herself. If that was her goal, whatever she was trying wasn't working very well.

"Would you believe me if I said I had no idea?" Willow's voice had a slight tremble, and ended on a higher note.

Shaking his head slightly, Angel grinned at her. "Not a chance. Especially after changing colors so interestingly. Basically, we can do this the easy way, where you talk now, or I can follow you and lurk until you talk."

She sighed, letting her breath out until it looked like she was deflating. Looking at him from under her hair, she caught his eyes. "Buffy doesn't know, and I'd like it to stay that way as long as possible. Giles... will probably flip, so can we tell him later?"

Angel nodded, wondering what she would say that had her so convinced that Giles would be upset. Other than the fact that she was dating Spike. If she would talk, he could keep her words to himself.

"I know who the dragon is. I umm I met Dru one night. I had went outside to watch a meteor shower, and there she was. She called me a little tree. She talked about how she had come to save her not daddy, her angel. Then she said that her daddy wasn't the same as she used to be. Buffy had already asked me to help look up Dru, so I'd known that she was a childe of Angelus, which meant that you were her daddy, or not-daddy. We talked a bit... she mentioned Buffy and called her a taffy girl, and then she umm... it's kind of hard to summarize, you just have to listen, you know? Well, she was talking about a taffy girl, and a yellow dragon, and I figured out that it was the same person, and that person is Buffy."

Buffy was the dragon?!? He could feel his head spinning. Dear God... he had suggested killing the dragon... he couldn't kill Buffy. How could Buffy make him lose his soul? What had that bit about fire and passion? "Buffy is the dragon?" He could barely whisper the words, looking at Willow in shock.

She looked at him, her eyes full of sympathy. Willow walked over to sit near him, placing her hand on his arm. "Nobody wants you to hurt Buffy. Well, Spike and Dru might like it, but they aren't asking it of you. Dru and I talked, we figured that if we kept you and Buffy apart until we knew what the deal was about the spell, everything would be okay. Then, as we got some information about the spell, it looks like there's this nasty clause thingy in it. Dru said the old gypsy made the curse fragile, so that it would break, which I think means there's the escape clause. No firm decision on what that is, just half guesses, and that it has something to do with you and Buffy, but I don't know if it's because she's the slayer or because of this thing you and Buffy have or what."

Looking at Willow, he wondered how she had been having these conversations with Dru. How had nobody guessed? "Dru said that she didn't want to be a dark dragon, she wanted to be a good girl. That naughty games would have to wait, whatever that meant."

Willow looked thoughtful for a few moments, attempting to decipher Dru's words, and then her eyes went wide and her face went a deep crimson. "OH!! umm I think I know what she meant. oh dear... umm not an image that I needed ever to have.... I think I know how the dragon would burn away the ties of your soul."

"Willow, I need to know. What do you think this clause means?" Part of his mind was wondering exactly why she was blushing so much. What image could she have possibly had to result in that?

"Sex." Willow somehow turned an even brighter red, looking incredibly embarrassed. "I mean... there were notes about eternal suffering and misery... not a single moments peace. If you and Buffy.. or Dru umm.... you know... did that, you... wouldn't be feeling very miserable for at least a little bit, right? oh this is so not a conversation I wanted to have with you... If you have a moments... umm... happiness, I think Dru's saying that it would break the spell and your soul would go away."

Angel could feel the world spinning around him. If he knew a moments rest from his torments, he would loose his soul? That had to be the most horrible thing... "Why? Why would they put such a clause in there? Couldn't they see how easy it would be to... to break it?"

"I don't know. Dru said that the old gypsy was a very naughty woman, and should be punished for making the spell fragile. There was also some stuff about how if it broke, you wouldn't be the same as you'd been before, but she didn't say if that would be part of the spell or because of the cows blood. I... didn't ask about it. I definitely don't want to get into a discussion about the comparative tastes of different types of blood. No better idea that maybe she inhaled some bad herbs."

After a few moments of pure misery as Angel contemplated the horrible twist of such a clause, Willow spoke again.

"Dru and I are trying to put together another spell. One that will hold your soul there, even if the gypsy spell breaks. Like superglue. We want to make sure that you stay you no matter what, and I'm pretty sure that Dru sort of umm wants you for herself, which would be that naughty games, and I don't want to think about you and Dru umm don't want to go there."

Angel was amazed that Willow would be willing to do such a thing for him. He was even more amazed that she was working with Dru. He was just thinking that this was the best news he could possibly hear tonight when there was a double gasp from the doorway. Giles voice reached them both, and he could see Willow cringe.

"Willow, what on earth are you doing talking to Drusilla? Let alone working on concocting a spell with her?"

End part 50

"Umm I can explain?" Willow was praying that this was just a nightmare. The whole day could be just one long, incredibly detailed dream, and then she wouldn't have to explain to Giles and Miss Calander why she was working with Dru. Somehow, she doubted it would be easy. Things were never that easy.

Miss Calander was looking extremely worried, and holding a stack of printouts in her hand, her knuckles white. Giles looked torn between blowing up and being worried sick. Angel looked surprised and dismayed. Apparently, he'd been so busy thinking about that horrible clause that he hadn't heard the others come in. Wonderful.

"Umm I met Dru by accident, sorta. Didn't I just cover this with Angel? We talked, we're friends now, I promised her that I would try to help find a way to make Angel stay Angel. I've been talking to her about the soul curse, she said the old gypsy made it fragile, and that Angel would be a bad daddy if it broke. She also said... umm... Angel, could you tell them that bit, you don't blush."

She could tell that that had caught Miss Calander's interest, and Giles was giving her this worried look. Angel looked, well actually, Angel looked like he was inspecting Giles for hidden stakes. With a slight sigh, he looked at Giles and filled in the next bit, the part that had been incredibly embarrassing to explain once.

"Willow seems to be able to decipher what Dru's saying. Dru thinks that there's... a loophole. If I were to... have sex, she thinks it would break the spell. Willow's thought was that it would be because I wasn't feeling guilty and tormented at the time. Apparently, Dru and Willow are also trying to find or create another spell to anchor my soul to me." Angel spoke, not blushing because of the unfair advantage of being a vampire.

Willow tried to prepare herself for a lecture, some explosive disapproval of her time spent with Dru. She didn't want to be yelled at, but she thought it was likely. Instead, Miss Calander went pale-ish, and started searching through the pages until she found one in particular. She read over it, looked at something in the middle again, and elbowed Giles who was looking shocked, worried and disapproving. He then looked at the place where her finger was pointing, and his expression changed to mostly shock, and a bit of horror.

"Dear God, what could they have been thinking?"

Giles and Miss Calander walked over to the table, both looking entirely unhappy with the printout. They chose to sit next to each other, and with a space between them and Angel. Miss Calander shuffled through her papers again, as if she was searching for something, like a single bit of good news to soften the delivery of everything else.

Her voice was low, apologetic. "I've got most of the spell translated. One section that IS finished is the clause. It says that if... if Angelus knows a moment of true happiness, a moment completely free of torment, pain and guilt, where his soul causes him no pain, the ties of flesh and soul with part, and his soul... it would go away. There's a bit more covering what would happen after that, but that isn't all translated yet. So, while it doesn't come out and say no sex, that... well, if that would cause a moment entirely free of torment, I think you should pass on that until... Willow, do you actually think that you and Drusilla can anchor his soul?"

oh, the attention was on her again, everyone was looking at her. She could feel herself blushing, and she slouched a bit in her chair, as if trying to escape their notice. "Well, Dru thinks that we can. She said that I have the ability to work magic.. well, that's what she meant anyhow. She also said that she isn't strong enough to cast it alone. How could I just stand back and not try to stop this? Angel is a friend, I'm not going to stand back and ignore something like this if I can try to fix it."

Suddenly, and to Willow's great surprise, Angel spoke again. This time, his words were directed to Miss Calander. "Soo... were you ever intending to tell us that you're Kalderash? How exactly are you related to the old woman that cast the spell?"

Willow watched as Miss Calander fidgeted, looking embarrassed and awkward. Giles had this odd impression, and it was clear that Giles hadn't known. So, how did Angel know?

"Angel? Why did you umm how did you know that she's a gypsy?" Willow was curious. She knew because Dru had told her. But, how would Angel have known?

"Other than the fact that she looks like Rosa did?"

Giles drew a bit closer to Miss Calander... was that even her real name? Should they call her something else now? He was clearly trying to offer her a bit of comfort. Miss Calander looked deeply worried. Not just because her secret identity was revealed, but the reference to Rosa. That must have been the gypsy that Angelus had... umm killed. Miss Calander's hand had one to her throat in a nervous gesture, and she was trembling slightly.

Angel gave an almost smile, lacking any humor or warmth. "I had a dream. The Kalderash were in it, from the night they cursed me. New thing this time, there was another person there. You." He pointed right at Miss Calander, his gaze steady. "You spoke, only her voice was there also, the woman that had cursed me. Rosa's grandmother. The only thing that kept you from blending in with them exactly was the fact that you were dressed in clothing from now."

After a few false starts, a shaky indrawn of breath and her mouth opening and closing, Miss Calander spoke. "I'm also descended from her. The woman who cast the spell, Marialle Kalderash. Rosa wasn't her only grandchild. I... I was sent her to watch you. I didn't know about the clause, I swear that to you. All I knew was that I was supposed to watch you, to make sure you continued to suffer. Nobody told me why it was important."

End part 51.

Willow finally managed to get a copy of the translations, and she slipped away from the library. Let them stay there debating what right the Kalderash did or didn't have to send someone to follow Angel, or what flight of lunacy had led them to put that clause into the spell. She wanted to go home. She wanted to wait for Spike.

She made it to her house, and started herself a small pot of coffee with the last of the almond coffee that Spike had given her. He had given her poetry last night. She hadn't actually read it yet, but still... he had given her poetry. Since she had fallen asleep last night lost in the memory of his kisses, she hadn't actually accomplished much.. well, anything after he'd gone. She could read the poems while the coffee brewed.

She brought back the three pages that had been left, slightly crumpled, beside her flowers. They still carried a faint scent of leather from being inside Spike's coat. She settled into the chair to read them, wondering what sort of poetry Spike had given her. She straightened out the first sheet and began to read.

The sheer emotion in them took her breath away. They were hand written, and she could feel how much of himself he had poured into these just from the look at the jagged handwriting. So much emotion, so much appreciation and desire... and it was all for her. It sounded as if she had become the center of his world; he'd described her as 'his sun in darkness', and as 'the true light in his eternal night'.

She could feel tears in her eyes from the intensity of them. He wanted her to be his forever, thought that she was beautiful... No one had ever wanted her even a little, and now she had Spike writing such impassioned poetry making it clear that he wanted her by his side until the end of time, 'until the stars, like feeble candles, gutter and fade away.'

She was sitting there, reading over them again over the last cup of the coffee as he came into her house. She had decided that her favorite was the one with the stars like candles. She was running her fingers over the letters, feeling how they had been pressed deeply into the page.

"Hope you liked it, Willow. They were for you... I was never a very good poet." Spike's voice surrounded her, like honey pouring over her.

She looked over to where he was standing, and smiled. He looked wonderful... and unexpectedly nervous. She gave a little gesture for him to come over and sit down. "They were wonderful, Spike. I... There was so much passion, and emotion... they made me cry. In a good way."

He came in, not quite sauntering, but his motions still showing grace and confidence. He grinned for a moment, and swooped down, lifting Willow from the chair and sitting there himself, with Willow now perched on his lap. All this had been accomplished without spilling the mug of steaming coffee in Willow's hand. Willow had given a small squeak of surprise, and her eyes were very wide by the time all the rearrangement had been finished.

"What if the coffee had spilled on you? I wouldn't want to burn you with it." She looked into his eyes, certain that the last thing she wanted to do was accidentally hurt her Spike.

Spike smiled at her, one hand brushing over her forehead, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I trust you, red. You wouldn't hurt me on purpose, well, maybe if I asked you pretty please, but that would be different."

Willow felt a sudden rush of heat at his words and touch, not just from the blush that his words had caused, but also a different sort of heat, accompanied by the same nervous anticipation that she had felt when kissing him last night. She put the cup down, and reached out to place her hand over his cheek, her fingertips brushing into his hair. He leaned slightly into her hand, and they sat there for a moment, gazing into each others eyes.

Willow broke the silence, her voice slightly nervous, slightly amazed. "You said you wanted to claim me? What would that actually... umm how is that done? What would that do, I mean, would there be some sort of effect?"

Small flecks of gold, like tiny starbursts, formed in his eyes when she mentioned him wanting to claim her. She could see the tip of his tongue brush over his lips, and she knew that this was not only something serious, but quite likely something very... sensual as well. When he spoke, his voice had taken on that slightly huskier tone that she remembered so well from last night. "Oh, I definitely want to claim you, Willow luv. One thing though... a real, true Claim has to be willing. You have to want me to mark you, to let everyone know that you're mine... The part that people like those daft chits at the coffee house would see is a bite, normally right here." His fingers brushed the side of her neck, sending little sparks into her.

"The part that's less visible, more of a... hmm more of a vampire thing I guess, it leaves sort of a feeling behind, like a psychic stamp, and it says that you belong to me. Any vampire that saw you would know that you were Claimed, that you are mine, under my protection. If they tried anything, it would be a big insult, a challenge. It would be noticeable to a lot of other demons as well. Some of them would leave you alone for it. Part of it is, vampires generally only Claim people that they plan to make into their childer or their mates. It's not a little thing."

His hand was still resting on the side of her neck, his thumb moving slightly back and forth. She felt as if the whole room was getting warm, she was incredibly aware of Spike, his every word, each shift of his body, every expression of his face. She was trying to think seriously about his words, but she had this... ongoing mental image, an image of her and Spike, naked on her bed, limbs entwined, touching, caressing... It made it very difficult to think seriously about anything. She knew that her pulse was racing, and she could feel her breathing speed up. Those delightful... naughty images weren't helping.

"Last night... you said everything you are for all that I am. Does that mean... is there... umm... you said if you Claimed me, everyone would know that I'm yours. Is there some way that I could let people know that your mine? What would happen if..." letting a few of the things from those images guide her, she ran her hand down the side of his neck, brushing her thumb over where his own pulse should have been. "What would happen if I bit you, Spike?"

end part 52.

Spike closed his eyes at her words. If she bit him... oh the images that started in his mind. Ohh, if he could be so lucky. She wanted him.. he could see it in her eyes, the flush of her face, her quickened breathing... and in her scent. She might even want him as badly as he wanted her. She was still rubbing her thumb over his throat. He groaned, feeling the desire growing inside him.

"Willow, luv... if you bit me... it would make me an extremely happy vampire. Humans can only rarely Claim a vampire... they have to be pretty strong willed, and then there usually has to be something... umm mystically powerful about them for it to stick..." He was starting to purr from her touch. He could feel it, and from her soft gasp, she could as well.

"Dru seems to think I'm a fire fairy, and that I can help her make Angel's soul permanent. Would that count?" Willow's voice was soft, blurred a bit by the same passionate wanting that he could feel.

What the bloody hell? How did Dru come into all of this? He was startled and confused. "Willow... what's this about Dru? Ummm do you mean..." He wasn't quite certain how to ask. How did you ask the person you wanted to be your lover for the rest of time how they had met your former lover?

"Dru, you know, dark hair, long dresses, calls you Spikey, which I can't really picture anyone else doing... she's got a doll named Miss Edith. That Dru. We sort of... she found me one night watching the meteor shower. She asked me to help keep the dragon from eating her Angel's soul. I suggested that maybe we could find a better spell than the gypsy curse, and I'm not really certain how she decided that I'm a fire fairy, but she thinks I have some sort of magic, and she wants me to help cast the new superglue Angel's soul spell. I'm pretty sure that she wants him for her very own. She seems nice enough, but... I didn't think we were here to talk about Dru?" She was looking at him her eyes like green jewels, shining with so many things.

When her voice continued, Spike felt hope and something else blossom inside him. "I thought we were going to talk about you and me... Claiming... and that there was a pretty good chance that sex would come under discussion as well."

He pulled her closer, kissing her with everything that he was feeling, passion, desire, hope... His hands had slid over her, tracing patterns over her back and shoulders, trying to memorize the feeling of her soft skin. He could taste the almond from coffee that she had been drinking, and a sweetness like a hint of chocolate and toffee. Underneath all the other flavors, he could taste Willow, taste her passion and fire, everything that made her Willow. The kiss was a desperate effort to taste her, to burn this moment into his memory so that it would last forever.

Finally, the kiss broke, and Willow clung to him, her hands having slid under his shirt where they had traced burning lines over his skin. She rested her head on his shoulder, trying to catch her breath after that kiss. He could feel her breath caressing his throat... This shirt was in the way. He wanted nothing to be between them... He moved, almost ripping it from his body in his haste to remove the offending garment.

She had been forced to move when he pulled the shirt over his head, and he heard a soft 'ohhh' from her. She was staring at him, her eyes devouring the sight of him. Her hands were moving over his chest now, feeling like the most delightful fire dancing over his skin. There could be no doubt that she was pleased with the way his body looked.

Her eyes were almost a tangible feeling as she looked over him. He could feel the heat of her, reaching towards him, warming him. He wanted to bury himself into her, to be seared by her heat. He kissed her again, feeling his face shift with anticipation. She wanted him, wanted him to claim her. She wanted to be his, wanted him to be hers... They continued to kiss passionately, hands sliding, touching each other. He had managed to undo some of the buttons of her shirt, allowing his hands to slip under the fabric, touching her skin.

"I think we should take this upstairs." Willow's voice was soft, filled with anticipation. It was the most wonderful suggestion that he had ever heard. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to her room, kicking the door shut behind them.

end part 53.

Willow hadn't been quite certain what to expect. Oh, she had a general idea what would happen after he carried her into the bedroom, but that wasn't the same. They'd kissed until she was certain that she would float away she was so lightheaded. He'd kissed her throat, kissing and nibbling in such a bewitching fashion. Their hands had explored each others bodies, trying to memorize the feel of each other, and each touch, each caress had only made their desire grow.

She had expected it to hurt a little when he bit her. While there had been a bit of a sharpness when his teeth had parted her skin, the overall experience had been amazingly sensual. His teeth had slid though her skin, her flesh parting for him, and it had felt like the world had spun around her. He had drank from her, and the feeling of him drinking from her... the knowledge that she was giving him strength by this had been oddly appealing to her. Spike had been purring, and the vibration from that, she had felt it, as if by having his fangs inside her transmitted the vibration.

That had been only the beginnings of their passion. They had touched, joined their bodies together in ways that she'd only imagined before. Spike had brought her into a world of pleasure, and he'd made certain that she knew exactly who was responsible for showing her these new delights. She'd screamed his name in passion, in pleasure... in frantic need for him to touch her.

During a brief pause while they had tried to catch their breath, well, Willow at least trying to catch hers, Willow had decided that it wasn't fair for her to be the only one getting lost in pleasure. She had decided to try to bring Spike to the same heights that he had shown her. He'd really liked it when she'd nibbled on his throat... that had drove him wild. She'd nibbled at him, giving sharp nips with her teeth, leaving little marks over his throat, his shoulders, over his chest. That had sent him into passion, and he'd made certain that she knew exactly how much he'd enjoyed that.

Somehow or other, she'd bit him. Right on the side of his throat, a bit under his ear. It had been deep and firm, and she'd tasted his blood, a rich coppery taste, tasting almost seasoned, with a hint of spice and something she could only describe as shadow. Considering the way he'd reacted to that, Willow had been wondering if she would learn if a person could honestly die from to much pleasure.

It had been a close thing.

She was laying here, in her bed, entwined with her vampire lover. The man that she hoped to spend the rest of her existence with. She had slept, exhausted from... everything. She had awakened a few moments ago, and now she was laying here, against his cool flesh, remembering. She'd contemplated seducing him awake, but she didn't have the energy. It had been a very good thing that her parents were gone.

If seducing him into wakefulness was out, she could still lay here, looking at him. His body was all sculpted planes and sleek muscles. His hair was a tousled mess right now, and the paleness of his skin was broken by little marks where she had nibbled on him, now turned purple. There were also raised lines along his back, over his arms, along his stomach where she had caught him with her nails. Most prominent, there was the bite on his throat. It looked harsh, and deep, almost painful. It gave her an oddly pleased feeling to know that she had marked him so thoroughly, and at the same time, the sight of the bite, looking so deep, made her want to kiss him all better.

They had covered the windows, making certain that no sunlight would get into her room. A glance at her clock told her that it was almost three. Her stomach insisted that that three had to be in the afternoon, and that she needed to eat. Carefully, moving slowly and with stiffness in every muscle that she had and several that she was positive she'd never heard from before, Willow separated herself and made it out of the bed. She nearly fell face first to the floor, but managed to catch herself. Demandingly, her stomach growled again.

There was a noise from Spike. Something that might have been intended as a question. He stirred slightly, clearly not awake.

"It's okay, Spike. I just need to go get something to eat. I'll come right back up, I promise." She didn't want him to think that she regretted last night. She also didn't want her stomach to wake him up with this insistent demand for food.

He made another noise, something that could have been acknowledgement of her words. It also could have been just about anything else, she couldn't tell.

She pulled on her robe, seeing the marks that their passion had left on her. There was the Claiming mark on her throat, a few other lesser nibbles... her wrists were a bit chafed from those scarves... and there were faint bruises on her hips from his fingers. She looked in the mirror, examining the Claim he'd left on her. She looked as if she'd been thoroughly ravished... which wasn't far off from what had occurred.

Her stomach made this odd gurgling noise. Right, food... what could she eat quickly? She had ended up having a rather unusual meal. There had been some fruit, a bagel with cream cheese, a few leftover bits of this and that. She'd been ravenous.

Spike was still in her bed. Willow smiled, her mind full of naughty thoughts. She had the whole weekend... nothing other than the whole Angel's soul thing to worry about on the supernatural front, her schoolwork had all been done days ago. She'd read in romance novels about couples spending the whole weekend in bed, or at least, being passionate. Maybe she could try it?

end part 54.


	5. parts 55 to 68

Monday had rolled around, and Willow had searched her closet for something that she could wear that would cover the mark on her throat. It wasn't that she was ashamed of Spike, or the amazing passion that they had shared over the weekend. She simply didn't want Buffy to hunt down her boyfriend and stake him. Willow wanted to spend a very long time with her Spike, which would be very difficult if he were killed.

There had been considerable frustration over the contents of her closet. She had ended up with a considerable pile of things that she didn't want to keep, and a few items that might work to cover the mark on her throat. Any vampire would still feel it, but the actual mark would be covered. Spike had promised to go shopping with her in an effort to help her find some more appealing clothing.

She had ended up wearing a pale blue sleeveless turtleneck with a pair of blue jeans. Her search for something to wear had taken so long that her hair had been left loose, falling halfway down her back like a crimson cloud. Spike had assured her that she was lovely, and given her a kiss for luck. She had seriously considered skipping school just so she could stay home with him...

She had gone to school, still feeling wonderful after her weekend. Well, maybe a bit sore, but she had never felt so loved, so cherished before. It wasn't until Willow had settled at her desk for her first class that she realized people were looking at her oddly. As if they were talking about her. Somehow, she had become the focus of rumor. Possibly the scene with her and Spike at the Expresso Pump?

It didn't take long for her suspicion to be confirmed. She heard a whisper about a 'sexy blond guy' and 'kissing'. Definitely the scene from Thursday. Willow tried not to smile, knowing that what they had seen was only the tip of the iceberg as far as what had happened. She knew that it was simply a matter of time before Buffy decided to ask her all about this 'mystery guy'. She had to figure out what she would tell Buffy, she didn't want to start by telling her everything.

It was a good thing that she had started planning what to tell them. As soon as she walked into the cafeteria, Buffy and Xander practically swooped in, herding her off to a corner table. Questions and broken bits of sentences were flying from them both as they tried to demand answers over each other.

'Who's this guy' 'how did you meet him' 'is he safe?' 'do we know him' 'why didn't you tell me?' 'kissing in the Espresso Pump?' 'I had to hear about it from Harmony, of all people' 'what were you thinking - no, please don't answer that!' ' no, do answer, and is he a studly?'

Finally, Willow stated to snicker, amused at the way that her friends were almost arguing over what they wanted to know. Xander wanted to know if this guy was safe, probably trying to find a way to ask if he was human. Buffy wanted all the details, and a detailed description of Willow's new guy. After a few more minutes of rapid fire questions, repeating most of them several times, Buffy and Xander finally came to a stop, realizing that Willow couldn't answer if they wouldn't be quiet so that they could listen.

After she managed to stop laughing, Willow decided to answer some of their questions. "His name is Spike, and he's got blue eyes. He's originally from London, you don't know him, and I'm perfectly safe with him. Buffy, you've been to busy juggling Scott and Owen to hear about him."

"Are you sure you want to get involved with some guy called Spike? I mean, Wills, Spike? That's the name of the big dog that was always chasing Tom the cat." Xander sounded worried.

"You have to come... ahh over to my house tonight and tell me everything, Wills. I want details! I'm your friend, I want to know about these things." Buffy sounded almost envious.

The rest of the day had been odd. People that had never had the time or interest to talk to her before gave friendly sounding hello's, she was the target of speculative and envious glances. Willow wasn't used to being the focus of so much attention. Nor was she used to the idea of her personal life being under discussion in the rumor mill of school.

End part 55.

Willow found herself drafted to patrol with Buffy. The stated excuse was 'I hardly ever see you recently.' Willow was trying to figure out if that meant 'I want to quiz you over this blond guy' or 'I want to talk about Scott' or possibly even 'I need help with one of my classes.' Listening to Buffy talk about Scott would be easy enough. So would helping her with studying something. But if she wanted to ask more questions about Spike... that could get tricky. She wanted to be careful how much Buffy found out at first.

So, Willow found herself meandering through the cemeteries of Sunnydale, with Buffy. She listened as Buffy talked about how cute Scott was, and about all the various things they had been doing together recently. They'd seen a couple movies, and been to the concert at the beach, and they'd danced together at the Bronze. She was going on about how he was all sweet, and nice, and a normal guy. He wasn't a demon, or a vampire, or any other sort of hellmouthy weirdness.

Willow could only nod at that. Yes, Scott was a human guy. Human guys were pretty normal. Buffy seemed to be pretty happy with how her relationship with Scott was going. Willow wondered how Owen would take that, seeing Buffy happy with Scott. It would have to hurt, seeing as how Owen had this huge crush on Buffy... The next sentence from Buffy's mouth made Willow gape in shock.

" I wonder why I haven't seen Angel lately? I'm a bit worried, that Dru vamp is trying to get him, and I don't intend to let her have my Angel." Buffy sounded annoyed, as if Dru were trying to take something away from her.

Willow felt stunned. Buffy had just been going on about how much fun she'd been having with Scott. How things were looking like they could get serious. Now, she was saying that Dru couldn't have HER Angel? That just sounded wrong, not to mention possessive. "Buffy... I thought you were dating Scott now? How can Angel still be your boyfriend if your seeing Scott?"

"Because he's... Angel's my... We have this thing, you know?" Buffy looked as if she was trying to explain something, as if she were trying to find the words for what she wanted to say.

"Buffy, there are words for girls who collect guys like charms on a bracelet. They aren't nice words. You can't keep Angel dangling on the side while you play with Scott. If you want Scott, fine, go for it. But you can't try to keep Angel at the same time. He's not a toy, he's not a pet..." A sudden vivid image burst into Willow's mind, of Angel on deep red silk sheets, wearing nothing but a collar. She turned absolutely crimson, and made a few noises as she tried to banish that image. Angel was gorgeous, but... that wasn't an image she needed. The only naked vampire that Willow wanted was Spike.

"Ummmm I was saying that Angel is NOT a pet. You can't just keep him and get another one. You have to choose. If you want Scott, then Angel isn't your boyfriend anymore, and you can't lay claim to him. If you want Angel, then you can't date Scott, it would be cheating." Willow's voice was firm, and she looked right at Buffy. She hoped that her friend would listen, would see the logic in what she was saying.

"You think I'm being selfish." Buffy sounded a bit hurt.

"Well, it's not that I don't want you to be happy, because your my friend and of course I want you to be happy but..." Willow's attempted explanation was interrupted by a green scaled demon with a row of spines down it's back attacking Buffy with a hiss.

Willow stepped back, her back now pressed against the wall of a crypt as she watched Buffy fight the green demon. It was snarling and hissing at her, looking and sounding extremely menacing. Buffy was insulting it, trying to throw off its attacks with witty quips. Buffy ended up with her lower lip split, and bleeding slightly from the side, and several slashes over her arm. Her pretty pink shirt was completely ruined, the sleeve torn entirely off, the front slashed where the demon's claws had almost caught her stomach, and splattered with the dark green blood that had flowed in the thing's veins.

"Yuck. Green demon blood... and I really liked this shirt. Nasty weirdly colored demon fluids almost always stain. Now, what was it you were saying before that thing interrupted?" Buffy sounded as if she felt a bit better now.

Willow sighed, hoping that her friend would follow her reasoning. "You can't keep dangling Angel and Scott. It's not fair to either of them. You have to choose one or the other, and let the one you don't pick know that you won't be dating or whatever anymore. That's the only thing to do. Because if they find out your seeing someone else while being sorta whatever with them, you'd better believe they won't be happy. Pick one before you loose them both. Although, I'd say since you've been spending so much time with Scott, maybe you've already chosen, and just didn't want to let go."

They walked quietly, and Willow could see that Buffy was thinking. Hopefully, she was thinking about what Willow had said, how she had to choose one and let the other go. While they walked, Willow decided to try to think of more interesting things than the mess that was Buffy's social life. Maybe... Spike, with that leather collar, and a rose in his teeth? Yeah, that was a much more enjoyable thought. She let her mind play with that image for a while, contemplating how things might go from there. Her pleasant fantasy was interrupted when Buffy spoke again.

"You're right, Wills. I can't keep them both. I just... I wish that I didn't have to choose. They both have some very nice things going for them. Any advice on how I should try to pick?" Buffy sounded sad now.

Willow gave a small smile. It sounded like Buffy would be reasonable about this, at least for the moment. She had this urge to say 'go with Scott, you won't make him loose his soul', but resisted. "You have to think about it. Which one of them can you see a future with? Who can you see trying to happily after with? Going to dances, having fun? Another thing, if you want to build a future with someone, you have to be able to accept all of them, the handsome outside and everything inside as well. Can you accept the fact that Angel is a vampire, and always will be? Or the fact that Scott... I don't actually know any major character flaws or difficulties about Scott, but I'm sure he has something that isn't perfect about him."

End part 56.

When Willow finally made her way back to her house, she found the lights on in the living room. Puzzled and slightly worried, she opened the door, slightly tense with nerves. Dru was inside, and she could smell tea. Breathing a sigh of relief, Willow closed the door.

"Someone's been naughty. Did you and Spikey have fun? I can tell that he Claimed you... and why were you off with that nasty taffy girl?" Dru's voice was colored with amusement.

Willow grinned, feeling oddly relaxed by having someone that she could talk about everything with Spike. "We had a lot of fun. It was... wow. He gave me poetry. As for Buffy, we had a talk tonight. Seems she's been seeing Scott lately, umm he's one of the guys from our school. I told her that it wasn't fair to try to keep them both, she has to choose one. Told her that she should choose someone that she could see herself having a future with, someone that she could accept all of, not just a few bits here and some from there. Also, I mentioned that neither of them would probably like it if they found out she was seeing someone else on the side.

Dru giggled, apparently finding that idea amusing. "But my Angel already knows that the taffy girl is seeing the mortal boy. I told him about it on the night that there was all the music by the waves. She is very naughty... do you think that she will stay away from my Angel now?"

"We can only hope. I know that she can't accept all of him, she has problems with the fact that he's a vampire. She doesn't like it, it makes her all twitchy. It's not a good thing for your boyfriend to make you all twitchy nervous. So, hopefully, she'll think about it and go with Scott, especially since she's been spending a lot of time with him anyhow." Willow was trying to think positive. Buffy wasn't an idiot. Actually, the Slayer was fairly smart, if she just thought about it instead of going with her mixed up emotions.

"I came here to show you. I found something... it's a spell that the ancient Egyptians used to link the souls of the dead to statues. I thought maybe we could use that to make a new soul spell for my Angel."

Willow sat up, eyes widening at Dru's words. "Really? I saw a program on the history channel that sort of mentioned that, about how... the spell was supposed to create a link between the soul of the dead and some statues that were specially made to look like the dead person, so they could act on behalf of the living. Wow... how did you ever get it? Do you think it would work on his body? I mean if we have the soul, and his body isn't exactly living anymore... umm... definitely something to look into."

Dru handed Willow a cup of tea, smiling at her friends words. "We went to Egypt once. I went to see the pyramids, and the great Sphinx, and there were all sorts of things. I talked with a little old sorcerer with funny marks on his cheeks, and he said that the ancients had many powerful spells. That they could bind the soul of someone to their body, so that they would be trapped within as long as even a single bone remained of them. His name was something odd... something about water. Ardeth something about water. He said that his wife had learned a lot more about soul magics that he had, but she didn't talk to the nightbound."

Willow looked up, wondering what sort of soul magics the ancient Egyptians had known. How much had been empty ritual, and how much had been real power? "Dru, do you know any way that we could get in contact with this guy? Would he even still be alive? Maybe he or his wife could send us some information?"

Dru looked thoughtful. "I don't know if they would still be alive. He was very old, and we were there almost twenty years ago. He said there was something about me, that I had a part to play in destiny. He said he didn't know what part I was going to play. But.. I can try to send him a message. I don't know if he's alive, or if he or his wife could help, but..."

That question considered, they settled into a lively discussion on the Egyptian spell, trying to understand how it worked, and what would be needed for each part of it, especially what would be needed to bind the spirit to the body. Parts of it could be very useful. Willow was getting a list of spell fragments that might be useful, but they still needed a way to blend them smoothly.

"Umm Dru? Giles and Miss Calander and Angel all found out that you're trying to help me find a way to anchor Angel's soul. They think... how did Giles phrase that? 'Dangerously unpredictable' is how he put it." Willow was still looking at the Egyptian spell, trying to figure out if it would be compatible with a South American fragment that Dru had found before, to prevent something from being lost or stolen.

Dru only laughed, and poured more tea.

End part 57.

After Willow had gone home for the evening, Buffy continued, not exactly patrolling, more like walking and thinking after dark. Willow had brought up a point earlier, and it wasn't a happy one. She couldn't have Angel AND Scott. She couldn't have Scott to do fun things with by day and Angel at night to be mysterious and kiss in the cemeteries. That wasn't fair to either of them, and there were words for people who tried to do that. Ugly, harsh words that Buffy didn't want applied to her.

She had to choose. She had to decide which of the men in her life to keep and which to let go. Should she keep Scott? He was cute, and alive, and funny, and they had so much fun when they went out. But.. he didn't know that she was a Slayer, didn't know what dangers lurked in the dark. She could tell him, but then he might freak out and leave her. Her other option was Angel, who was incredibly handsome, knew that she was a Slayer, and could help her fight the baddies that were around the hellmouth. He was also a great kisser. But... Angel was a vampire, and he always would be. Could she really open herself up to a vampire? Someone that drank blood, even if he did brush? Someone with centuries of time to have accumulated experience and exes?

Things had been nice with Scott, she'd had fun and laughed and felt almost like a normal girl. Things with Angel... she never felt like a normal girl, everything was too intense. But... could that intensity last? Could it be enough? Could she be the girl who's boyfriend couldn't come to the beach party because it was in the daytime? Could she give up the idea of a nice house and a family because her boyfriend was a vampire? Scott could give her those things.

Yes, Scott was human, and alive, and fun. They could go places in the daytime, and get married in a church and have kids and a house and happily ever after together. Now, all she had to do was figure out a way to let Angel down gently. After all, it wasn't his fault that she couldn't have a future with him, that he couldn't give her a lifetime filled with sunshine and happiness and laughter. Off to talk to Angel, to try to break it gently to him that they had no future together.

She found him in one of the cemeteries, sitting on a marble bench that had been set at a family grouping. He looked like he was brooding about something. Well... at least he was sitting down. Hopefully, this talk wouldn't make him feel too much worse. Oh, who did she think she was kidding? It was the middle of a cemetery, at night, and she was about to break up with him, to tell him that he could never give her the type of future that she needed. He would be devastated. "Angel? There's something... umm... We need to talk."

He looked at her, the moonlight making his skin look like some sort of carving, to smooth, to perfect to be real. His eyes were unreadable dark pools. "Buffy? I didn't expect... sit. What did you want to talk about?"

Ouch, right for the hard part. She didn't sit, instead pacing a bit near him, twisting her hands over themselves, uncertain of the best way to say this, to do this. "Umm I've been... thinking about things. About us... about the future."

"What about the future?" Angel's voice was soft, showing curiosity and a hint of something else. His expression was unreadable.

"We don't have one." The words tumbled out, and Buffy winced at their harshness. "I mean... oh, that sounded sharp. It's just... I was thinking about what I want in life, and... from the future. I wish things didn't have to be like this... you have no idea how much I wish things could be different." Her words had fallen to a whisper, and tears were gathering in her eyes. If things could only be different... if only it could be Angel that she shared her days and life with, if only they could be just two normal people...

Angel's voice as he spoke was thick with sorrow. "You want a normal life. All the things that I can't give you... sunlight and afternoon picnics and babies."

Buffy could feel the tears running down her cheeks. "Angel... I didn't want to hurt you..." She reached out, her fingertips brushing his shoulder. "I'm sorry?"

He stood up, the action somehow putting more distance between them, and when he looked at her, Buffy couldn't read his eyes at all. He was entirely closed to her. "I hope your future is as bright as you imagine it, Buffy."

With those words spoken, Angel walked away into the night. Buffy watched him go, feeling as if something had just been lost. A door to the future had just been closed, and she had the feeling that this was one of those things that could never be changed. She had lost him forever. Oh, he might still be here, in Sunnydale, but... no more midnight kisses for Buffy. She had just let him go, and it hurt.

End part 58.

While Angel was walking away from Buffy, Willow and Dru were talking about how to get in touch with this Ardeth water guy that Dru had met in Egypt, assuming that he was even alive anymore. If he had been old twenty years ago, he could be dead. Finally, they concluded that the best way would be to write a letter, and then use a small spell to send it to him. They wrote it, explaining that there was a small matter of a soul curse in danger of breaking, and could he or his wife possibly give them any information on the ritual used to enable the spirits of the deceased to act through the statues that had been left in their tombs? Or some other method to bind a soul to the vampire's body?

Dru wrote out the letter, and then sealed it, addressing it on the outside to Ardeth water-named, desert mage. She then wrote the words for the spell to send it on a different paper, and gave it to Willow.

"This is the chant, we say it, and picture the person that we want something to go to. In this case, you can't picture him, but if you use the words as well, you can help me cast it, adding your power to mine. Magic isn't that difficult, little tree." Dru was smiling reassuringly.

Willow looked over the paper, softly forming the words, wanting to be certain that she had the correct pronunciation. Dru smiled at her, and asked if she was ready. Willow nodded. "I'm entirely nervous, but I think I'm ready. I have the words here, and we got the right way to say them, and if you remember the guy, you said we need a clear mental image for this to work? I guess... it's time for the magic."

Dru took Willow's hands into hers, and the letter to the desert mage sat on the floor encircled by their hands and arms. They began to chant, and Willow closed her eyes, focusing on the letter going to this person, finding someone that could help them. Dru had closed her eyes as well, focusing on her memories of Ardeth. That was how they both missed seeing the green gold glow that started from their linked hands, and darkened to an almost jade hue, spreading to form a circle, swarming in little flecks over the letter and giving a humming presence to the room. With an audible 'pop' the letter vanished.

Hearing the noise, Willow's eyes snapped open, widening as she saw the last bits of the deep green glow that radiated from their hands, stretching wisps into a circle around... the empty place where the letter had been. "It worked.... it really worked. I just helped cast a magic spell... I just did magic!"

Willow was smiling, her expression somewhere between glee and amazement. It seemed so unbelievable, she had just helped cast a magic spell. "That was... amazing. I felt this humming, and it was like this warm feeling from inside.. is it always like that?"

Dru smiled at her, her eyes twinkling. "In some ways. The humming was from all the power... you have very strong magic. Sometimes, after a spell, you'll feel all tired, because it took a lot of energy. I'll just go now, Miss Edith says it's time for me to go home for the night."

Willow waved her a cheerful goodbye, and had just finished locking the house up when the phone rang. It was Buffy, and she sounded like she was crying. Concerned, Willow asked what was wrong. She spent the next two hours listening to Buffy tearfully tell her all about the painful breakup with Angel, how much it hurt to let him go, how much she would miss him.

As she listened to Buffy, she found herself wondering if anyone was there for Angel. Surely this had to hurt him worse that it had Buffy, after all, it had been Buffy's choice.

End part 59.

Dru walked into the factory, placing Miss Edith next to the lovely urn with the roses in it, ignoring the fact that the roses had long ago shriveled up, and the petals fallen away, leaving nothing more than branches of thorns in the vase. She could see Spikey, pacing, shooting angry glances at a notebook, growling phrases and words... talking about flowers and jewels and luminous eyes... sometimes he just didn't make any sense at all.

"Spikey... leave the paper be. I'm sure it's very sorry that it made you mad. We have something better to do than growl at the paper. The sticky taffy girl hurt our not daddy, stabbed her sharp words into him until his heart started to bleed... We need to go talk to our not-daddy." She wanted him to go with her. If Spike were there, she wouldn't be as tempted to carry her not-daddy off and try to make him purr with pleasure. That would be bad because they hadn't found the glue spell. His soul would scorch and burn and fly away... she didn't want that to happen.

Shrugging slightly, Spike put down the pen that he'd been holding, letting it sit on the paper, and walked towards her. "Right, the taffy hurt our not-daddy... so you want us to go visit him. I hope you know what you're doing, Dru."

They walked, and followed the feeling of their sire until they found a small apartment building. Dru opened the door, and they walked down a hallway, where the door to the last apartment stood slightly ajar. There was silence from inside, broken only by the faint hum of a refrigerator. Spike glanced at her, his expression worried, and she stepped through the door, worried about her Angel. With a small sigh, Spike followed her.

The apartment was dark, although they could see a few lams set about the room. Dru reached over to one, pulling the dangling chain and causing a soft amber light to spill through the room, illuminating Angel as he sat at the end of a black leather couch. There were various keepsakes from some of the places that he had been, and several gleaming weapons hung on the walls. The one window was covered with blinds and heavy velvet drapes, to prevent any sliver of light from entering.

Angel was sitting there, looking as if he had simply collapsed onto the couch, intending to just... what? Sit and be miserable? There were crimson lines down his cheeks, dried tears shed and not wiped away, and his eyes were dark with pain.

Dru walked towards him, her heart pained at seeing him so miserable. "Poor Angel, all hurt by the nasty taffy girl... she hurt you." She settled on the couch, pulling Angel's unresisting form closer, wrapping her arms around his waist, and resting her head on his legs.

Spike drew closer as well, drawn in by the pain. It radiated from his sire, filling the very air with knowledge of a pain that cut to the bone and laid the heart bare to bleed. He rested his hand on Angel's shoulder, squeezing lightly, a gesture meant to make the other aware of his presence.

Angel finally reacted, one arm sliding over Dru's back, and he looked at Spike, a slight frown on his face. "Willow... she Claimed you? Does she know... you didn't drag her into this blindly, did you?"

Dru chuckled, her not-daddy could be so silly. She twisted, rolling so that she was looking up at his face, smiling at him. "Silly... you can't make the little tree do something like that against her will. She wanted someone that would be hers forever, her very own knight and poet and big purring kitty... and Spikey needed his tree. She's going to be with him until they're both no more than an echo of memory... They bound themselves of their own will, ties of caring and destiny and fire... fire burning in the night... no, this tree will be safe from fire and pain..."

She listened for a moment, trying to find a way to explain the images dancing inside her mind, behind her eyes. "She's a fire fairy, all light and fire and power... we're going to make your soul stay with you.. forever, or until you die. But we wanted to make sure you were alright, that you knew you weren't alone. The stars said that the taffy girl hurt you."

Angel nodded, apparently not willing to argue or question how Dru had known. "Buffy wanted to talk to me earlier. She said we had no future together, that I couldn't give her what she wanted."

Spike hissed, pain flashing through his eyes. "Sounds like she did everything but say you were beneath her. We could kill her?"

Dru frowned, wondering something. There had been more... "Where did the mortal boy fit in?"

Angel shook his head, his body tense with emotion. "She never mentioned him. Not a single word. However much she claimed that she cared about me... it didn't stop her from going off with some... mortal boy. Someone her own age, someone that could be with her in the sunlight. She went with him, and she didn't even think enough of me to tell me. She didn't trust me with the truth. She's right, there is no future for Buffy and me."

They stayed there, huddled together against the pain of heartache and loneliness. They were a family again.

End part 60.

Tuesday, Willow was once again wearing a sleeveless turtleneck sweater, although this one was gray. She really needed to get some more clothing, more grown up looking things. It wasn't the pastel colors that bothered her, although a few strong colors might be good. It was the fact that so much of her clothing made her feel as if she couldn't be a grown up, as if her mother were trying to make her stay a small child forever.

She was not terribly concerned with her schoolwork, instead thinking about the events of Monday night. Not only about Buffy's break up with Angel, and the question of Angel's pain and did he have anyone, but... did that buy them more time to safeguard his soul? She had cast magic on Monday, and it had felt good. She also wanted to see if Giles knew anything about this desert magi that Dru had mentioned. Since Giles knew that she was working with Dru, she could simply ask him, rather than trying to find some 'sneaky' way to get the information.

During lunch, Willow found herself listening to Buffy talking about Scott, and how he was sweet and charming, and how they were now officially 'going out together'. Scott had even given her a ring as a present, a small silver ring with a heart in the middle of some other shaping, but Willow couldn't get a good look while Buffy was bouncing gleefully. They had made plans to go on a picnic that weekend, and intended to meet at the Bronze tonight and dance.

Apparently Buffy had recovered from her 'painful break-up' with Angel.

Then, Willow heard some unexpected and encouraging news. Xander had managed to find the courage to ask Amy Madison to go see a movie with him on Friday. Not only had he managed to ask, but she had accepted. He was hoping that everything would go well with the date, and then maybe he and Amy might end up as a couple. Xander and Amy... it was an interesting thought. They just might go well together.

Finally, her classes ended for the day, and she was free to talk to Giles. She wanted to ask questions, and Giles had different sources of information than Dru. So, she went into the library, and found a little bit here and there while Buffy talked to Giles. Eventually, Buffy left, saying something about coffee and Scott. She had made a date, and seemed entirely enthusiastic about seeing him, not in the least bit sad.

"So... Giles, can you tell me anything about desert magi? From Egypt? Because Dru said there was one she met a few years ago, and she thought that he might be able to give us some information for that spell, so I was curious about them and wanted to see if you could tell me anything." Willow let her question spill forth in a rush, hoping that it would make sense to Giles.

Giles sat up, almost spilling his tea. "The desert magi? By chance did she mean... did she mention any distinctive descriptions about this person?"

Willow was surprised. The way Giles was reacting... there must be either something really important about these desert magi, or some possible danger, or maybe multiple groups of desert magical type people... "umm she said that when she met him, he was a very old man, Ardeth something or other. She called him Ardeth water named. umm he was married, because Dru said that he'd mentioned his wife knowing a lot more about soul magics... Marks. She said he had funny marks on his cheeks. Does any of that help?"

Giles muttered something, and put down his teacup. After a few moments of muttering about half crazed vampires and unbelievable quirks of fate, he looked up at Willow. "That would undoubtedly be Adrdeth Bey. He's one of a tribe of magi that live in the deserts, the Watcher's council has had a few dealings with them, and prefers to avoid it when possible. Their ancestors were charged with guarding their homeland against an ancient and terrible danger, one that they wouldn't reveal to the Watcher's Council. Most of them are very reclusive, although there was one who somehow became involved with a pair of archeologists in the thirties... I believe they were named O'Connor or O'Connell. This magi that was involved with them made quite an impression, and he then further went against the traditions of his people by marrying an outsider. Actually, I think she was the tutor of the couple's son, and she was also supposed to be a powerful sorceress in her own right. She is not spoken of by name, only referred to as the Desert Rose. If she can actually contact them... if they are willing to offer any aid, I think it would be extraordinarily useful."

Willow smiled. "That's a relief. We umm... I cast a spell! It was so cool, well, it was more like Dru cast it and I helped, but there was this glowy light and I could feel this humming and wow..." Pausing for a moment, Willow savored the memory of the spell, the felling of accomplishment that it had given her. "We used this spell to teleport a letter to him."

Giles simply stared at her for a moment, before he managed to speak. "You cast... you and Drusilla sent a letter to EGYPT!?! With a spell... oh dear... Have you any idea what sort of power that takes?"

Willow looked at Giles, wondering why he looked so... well, torn between angry and worried. "Giles, Dru promised me that it was just a simple spell, and perfectly safe. The letter vanished, we were both perfectly fine, well, I was a bit giddy, but... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you have any idea how much power it would take to teleport a letter halfway around the world? Do you have any idea what happens if someone attempts a spell that takes more energy than they have?" Giles was definitely upset, although it wasn't purely anger. It looked like he was worried.

"Ummmm does that mean it takes a lot of energy? Dru said if a spell took a lot of energy, it would leave me feeling tired, but she said the spell to send the letter would be no trouble for me. Dru thinks I'm a fire fairy, with lots of magic. Honest, it didn't even make me feel tired." She didn't want Giles to worry. Perhaps he would calm down if she convinced him that the spell hadn't exhausted her? No, perhaps something entirely non-related would work best.

"Exhausting was spending three hours listening to Buffy tell me all about how she and Angel had to break up because they have no future and that it really really hurt her."

End part 61.

Giles picked up his teacup, sipping at it slowly. "Buffy and Angel broke up again? Do you think it will last this time?"

Willow made a small face at the reference to the occasionally soap opera like tendency of Buffy to be almost always breaking up or making up. "Buffy was telling us at lunch how things with Scott are. Umm, she's been sort of seeing Scott for a while. Scott seems to make Buffy pretty happy, so I think she's going to be staying with him. And I don't think Angel would want to take her back after this... and you can't forget about Dru. She wants Angel back."

Giles simply sighed, and drank more of his tea. "Please tell me that that's part of the reason why she's helping you attempt to anchor his soul?"

Willow giggled, feeling suddenly odd discussing the potential love life of her friend, the century old ( at least!) vampire. "Yes, Giles, that one of the reasons why she wants a workable spell soon. She doesn't want to be a dark dragon and scorch his soul away. So... there will be no more Buffy Angel saga going on."

After a bit more discussion about the various dealing that the watchers council had experienced in the past with the mysterious desert magi, Willow left to go home, feeling rather cheerful. Thing were looking up. She had her Spike, Buffy wouldn't be making Angel loose his soul, they had almost finished a spell to anchor it securely, and she and Dru had cast a magic spell.

She and Spike might be able to go shopping tonight, to get her replacements for the vast number of things that she'd realized she hated. It would be good to spend some time with him. As it turned out, they did go out shopping, although they could only hit a few stores before the mall closed. They found soft long skirts in a multitude of colors, skirts that were long enough not to show off everything but clingy enough to hint at her shape. They found new sweaters, that would still ward off the chill of autumn or winter, but were not as bulky, instead resting in gentle folds over her body.

Shirts in velvet and silk, tanks tops and long sleeved poet style blouses and some others that had seemed simply perfect for Willow. Towards the end of the trip, Spike had managed to pull her into a store that Willow wouldn't have had the courage to explore on her own. Leather pants and jackets and boots and skirts and bands for wrists and other places and items that she wasn't quite certain the purpose of... until Spike whispered into her ear, obviously enjoying the way she blushed crimson.

They ended up with two bags just from Leather and Stuff-It.

There was some amusement as they walked out to the parking lot, passing a dumbstruck Harmony. Willow simply ignored the blonde, and they put the bags into Spike's trunk and drove away. She and Spike had a few plans to test some things out once they got back to her house.

Wednesday, there was a box on Willow's terrace, not left by Spike or any normal delivery person. Tied to the top was an envelope, neatly addressed to Willow Rosenberg, with her correct address, Something about the handwriting nagged at her... Impatiently, Willow opened the envelope, eager to see what it was, to learn who had sent it.

It was from Ardeth Bey and his wife, the Desert Rose. They had included the ritual used to bind the soul of the departed to the statues in their image, and it also said that the box contained other things that would be 'very useful to you, young Willow'. After great temptation and some internal debate, Willow decided to let the box and it's content wait until after the ritual to bind Angel's soul.

By Thursday, Willow and Dru had cobbled together a binding spell, using part of the ritual that had been in the envelope. Something that should bind Angel's soul to his body, forever. Everything would be perfect to cast it Saturday night. She and Dru were reviewing it, wanting to make certain that every clause lined up, that there would be no loopholes or troublesome clauses. This spell was to bind his body and soul forever, or until he was dust.

Giles had asked them to perform the ritual somewhere defensible, and had asked if he could be there, as an observer. After a bit of debate, Willow had said that he could, although this wasn't to go into the Watcher's diaries. She had also told him that Spike would probably be there, and he would have to behave.

They'd settled on a small clearing, on a hill. It had an excellent view of Sunnydale, and of the stars. It was out of the immediate radius of the Hellmouth, although still in the area affected by it. They had made what preparations they could beforehand, and everything would be tested on Saturday.

End part 62.

Saturday evening rolled around, taking far longer than Willow or Dru wanted. Giles and Willow left in the last hours of the day, preparing the area for the casting, and making certain that they had all of the items and herbs needed for the ritual. There were the two carved scarabs that Dru had brought to Willow's house, one of a pale white stone, and another carved from a dark reddish stone that was slightly translucent. There was an assortment of herbs, and a few other powders, each of which Dru and Willow had carefully determined the need for, and a generous number of candles to set in the area to provide some illumination for Willow and Giles to see by.

Willow was mentally reviewing the words yet again when she felt Spike approaching. She smiled, looking up at the path that they had to be on, and spoke, her words directed at Giles. "Now remember that you promised to behave, and Spike is actually very sweet."

Giles looked at her, slightly puzzled as to why exactly Willow felt that he would have problems with her boyfriend. He was about to ask, feeling almost hurt that she would worry when an accented voice called into the night air, thoroughly interrupting his thoughts.

"Now, Willow, luv, don't go telling people that. Then they won't think I'm the Big Bad anymore, and I'll have to beat them away from you with a stick... or maybe a nice sharp sword. I'm sure I've got one of those somewhere." At the same time that this voice flowed into the clearing, two figures arrived, one clearly Drusilla, wearing a long pale gown, and the other a lean figure in a dark leather coat, bleached hair showing clearly in the darkness, someone too pale and too graceful to be human.

"That's Spike? Willow... he's... William the Bloody... vampire... he's a bloody vampire..." Giles voice wasn't particularly loud, due to the sudden shock of his realization, but it was clear that he did not like this surprise.

Willow looked over at her mentor, very nearly her father and smiled, her expression the sweet smile of someone in love. "Yes, but he's MY vampire. He promised to behave tonight... and he's not nearly as excessive as he used to be."

Spike grinned at the stunned watcher, and walked over to Willow, his arms going around her in a close hug, and not quite letting go. He glanced over at the Watcher, his arms still wrapped around Willow, and caressed Willow's cheek with his fingers. "You can breathe all normal again, Watcher. I'm not going to hurt Red, not ever."

Dru spoke, her voice drawing Giles attention over to her. "Spikey wouldn't hurt the little tree. He only came here so that he could have her and because I wanted to help my not-daddy. Now, they've tied themselves up with ties of fire and passion and blood... Spikey couldn't hurt the little tree, he's hers now and forever. Just like she couldn't hurt him. She gets a knight and poet and big kitty cat, and he gets a fire fairy, a tree, the dancing light of inspiration."

It was obvious that Giles didn't follow everything that Dru was meaning. He did follow enough to know that Dru didn't think that Spike would hurt Willow, that he had no other reason for being over the Hellmouth, and that Dru thought that Spike and Willow would be very happy together. He swallowed once, and looked around, finally deciding to simply light a few more candles and try not to think about Spike being a vampire.

Dru set out a few of her own candles, these scented to make what she had decided would be a soothing scent to cast magic to. There was lavender and apple and one that had a scent much like the ocean was supposed to smell. She let the watcher light them, since he seemed to want something to occupy him.

Willow and Dru anointed themselves with a carefully blended oil that was supposed to help them clear their minds and stay focused, and stepped into the diagram. With a final moment of silence, they began laying out the herbs, and chanting. Soon, this would be over, and Angel's soul should be bound to him forever.

End part 63.

Giles found himself watching the two women chanting. He could feel the power gathering, prickling at his awareness, making his skin more sensitive. He glanced over, seeing the blonde vampire watching, more precisely, watching Willow. Spike was pacing, not talking least he interrupted the ritual, but clearly wishing that there was something that he could do. As he paced, Giles thought he saw something on the side of the vampire's neck.

The chanting was continuing, and now the lines carefully placed with herbs and powders were glowing, a pleasant dark green color, reminding him of summer leaves in the sunshine. Spike stopped, looking at the glowing lines, and muttered something under his breath, something about magic, and green, and leaves, and that was when Giles became certain that he had in fact seen a bite mark on the vampire's neck, just below the ear.

Either Spike had a lover on the side, and would soon be upsetting Willow, or Willow had bitten him, possibly in an attempt to Claim the vampire. Considering the possessive tone that she had used when saying that Spike was hers, the latter seemed all to possible. But normal humans couldn't Claim a vampire, not effectively. Slayers could probably manage it, if they actually cared for a vampire that strongly, which he'd never heard of happening. A powerful mage or witch could sometimes Claim a vampire, but the degree of power required made that quite unusual.

There was a shape coming along the path.

Just as Giles was readying his crossbow, the blonde vampire was at his side, one hand holding the crossbow down, aimed at the ground, his expression a fierce scowl, and his words a low growl. "Don't try to shoot, that's Angel coming along the path."

Staggering into the clearing, Angel looked at the ritual, his eyes wide. He looked as if he had been pulled forth, and he took a hesitant step near the women, flickers of pale green reflecting in his eyes. His voice was a raw whisper of stunned amazement. "What are they doing?"

It was a valid question. The lines of the diagram were glowing a pale green with flecks of gold through it. The candle flames all around burned, the flames perfectly upright, regardless of the small breeze that was passing fitfully through the clearing. Willow was there, her eyes closed, a swarm of golden sparkles around her, while Dru appeared to be wreathed in deep green wisps that wrapped around her almost like snakes. They were both still chanting, and the power was still gathering.

Suddenly, with a feeling that would have been perfectly suited to an earthquake, the power shifted, no longer simply gathered, it moved, and Angel was wrapped in a green glow, like sunlight through leaves, with golden sparkles around. The glow appeared to seep into his skin, and he stiffened, then went limp, collapsing onto the ground as if exhausted. Giles didn't notice the similar glow that had surrounded Drusilla, being to busy watching Angel. Spike did, and his eyes widened in shock, wondering if that had also been an effect of they gypsy curse, and if so, what had it done to him? Angelus had been souled and shackled by guilt, Darla had become an obsessive violent harpy, Dru had sunk farther into madness... what of him?

At the same moment that Angel hit the ground, every candle in the clearing went out, and the glow that had emanated from the lines stopped. Giles stood there, blinking in the sudden darkness, attempting to see what was happening. Willow and Dru were approaching, Dru swaying, one hand at her temple. Willow swayed slightly, and leaned against Spike, her arms sliding around him. Dru half knelt and half collapsed beside Angel, her hand going out to brush a small lock of hair from his face.

"Are you alright, my Angel?" Dru's voice was tired, but also filled with worry.

At the same time, Willow looked over at Giles, a small, slightly rueful smile crossing her lips. "Now, that left me feeling tired. I think. I think that I'd like Spike to take me home now. Would you mind getting all the candles?"

Giles simply nodded, part of his mind still boggling at the thought that she had really done it, she had really cast the spell, and he had felt it's power. He no longer had any doubts that Willow was powerful enough to Claim Spike, and looking at them, he could actually see them as a couple. "I can get the candles... do remember to rest after this... expenditure of energy, and try to eat something energizing."

Giles watched as Spike went down the path, Willow's arm wrapped around him as she leaned into him, although how much was for the support and how much was simply for the contact he didn't know. Hearing the rustle of fabric, he turned his attention back to Dru and Angel, right in time to see Dru kiss Angel right on the lips.

"Ahh. I do hope that his soul is quite secure now?" The concern had been only natural, seeing that kiss.

Dru looked over at him, a smile making her look quite lovely. "Don't worry, owl. The little tree and I made certain that the spell would work, hold tight like superglue and bubblegum. We even used several bits that bound his soul, just to make certain that it wouldn't go anywhere until my Angel were all dust and memory. The little tree did her research on it."

Angel looked up, trying to gather himself up from the ground. "I can feel it, Rupert. It's different, but not painful like the gypsy curse was. It doesn't make me want to... how did you put it? doesn't make me want to mope in a dark corner. But I think I'd like to go home and rest now."

The two dark haired vampires carefully climbed to their feet, and slowly walked away, intent on going to Angel's apartment. If there was anything planned other than rest, Giles didn't want to know. As he was packing the candles up to take away, it occurred to him: how would he explain this to his Slayer? Undoubtedly, it would not be good if Willow's new friend Drusilla were staked, and even worse if Spike were staked, especially if his suspicions about Claiming were true.

Feeling the approach of a headache, Giles finished putting the candles into his car and drove himself back to his home. He didn't want to think any more about vampires or Claims or magic spells tonight.

End part 64.

Dru had helped her Angel back to his apartment, both of them leaning on each other far more than they wanted to admit. She could feel his muscles under his shirt, and she wanted to run her hands over him, to see if the shape of him was the same as she'd remembered for all those years, to see if he would still gasp if she nibbled and licked over the griffon on his shoulder. She wanted to make certain that he knew he didn't have to be sad and guilty and mope in the darkness anymore.

There were far more interesting things to do in the darkness. Interesting and passionate things that could be done without all this clothing on their bodies. She helped him into the apartment, discovering that he'd left his door unlocked. Careless of him, but she could hear no heartbeats from inside, sense no vampire.. no whisper of presences awaited them. She locked the door behind them, and turned to look at him, a shape in the darkness, his presence filling the air, an almost magnetic pull for her.

"My Angel, I think I should make sure that you were not hurt by all the magic." She could feel herself smiling as she walked towards him, deliberately putting a slight suggestive sway to her hips. "I think you've been neglecting yourself, not listening to the needs of your body."

She stopped in front of him, her hands running over his arms, the texture of the fabric easily noticed. She slid her arms up and over his shoulders, then down the front of his chest and under the bottom of his shirt, feeling the smooth muscles under his skin. With a sudden almost angry motion, Dru pulled the shirt up and over his head, exposing his smooth flesh to her hungry eyes. Dropping the shirt to the floor, she smiled.

"Princess will make certain you aren't moping or brooding for the rest of the night." Reaching back, she tugged the zipper of her dress down, and shrugged out of it, letting the fabric slide to the floor, smiling at the almost hungry look that lit in his eyes as he saw her own pale skin, only a few delicate bits of lace and her shoes standing between her and complete nudity.

Suddenly, his hands were sliding over her, and their mouths had locked together, tasting and exploring each other. Somehow, they found their way to the bedroom, and collapsed onto the bed, the dark red silk of the sheets folding over their bodies.

There was no brooding that night.

Spike had taken Willow to his car, worried that the spell might have exhausted her too much. She looked pale, and hadn't the watcher said something about making certain that she ate something to give her energy? Perhaps before they went back to her house, he should stop somewhere to get her some food. There was this little all night diner on the edge of town, mainly frequented by truck drivers and the occasional 'tourist'. It would be open, and there shouldn't be to many odd questions or concerns.

Willow didn't protest the suggestion, instead merely murmuring something that he couldn't quite decipher. She fastened herself into the seat belt, clearly a gesture of habit, and simply leaned against the door, her eyelids sinking down as if heavy. She was asleep leaning against the window of his car when they arrived at the diner.

"Red? Willow-mine, we need to get some food into you." Carefully, he opened the car door, shaking her shoulder slightly, enough that she woke up. She smiled up at him, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"I think we need to step in here and get you some food. Anything in particular strike your fancy?"

They ended up inside, and he simply got himself a coffee, figuring that if he had something, it would look more normal. Willow ordered a big plate of blueberry pancakes, with berries and whipped cream on top. The expression of raw hunger on her face when the food arrived made him feel oddly jealous.

It was unnatural to envy a pancake anyhow. No matter how tempting the sight of her pink tongue swirling the whipped cream from her fork was, no matter how interesting the little 'mmmmm's' of enjoyment were, or the way her eyes closed and she got this little look of bliss while she swallowed...

He was jealous of the pancakes. Damn.

End part 65.

Finally, Spike could take no more. The sight of Willow licking the traces of berries and cream from her fork was not only making him jealous of the pancakes, it was making him think of all sorts of more personal places that he'd like her tongue to wrap over and around. He could just imagine her, her eyes darkened with passion, looking up at him through her lashes as she licked over his...

That train of thought was not helping. Not while they were in the middle of the diner, not while there were people watching. He had been wanting his Willow all night, wanting to feel her warmth surrounding him, to taste the intoxicating richness of her blood again, flavored by their passion and love. Pulling out some money from his wallet, he tossed it on the table, no longer willing to wait for the waitress to bring the check.

He picked Willow up in his arms, feeling his body tighten inside at her presence, and carried her out to the car, now far more impatient to get her to somewhere private than he'd been before. She was clinging to him, her head tucked onto his chest, her breath teasing it's way though his shirt to warm him. She wrapped her arm around him, her fingers sliding into his hair, caressing the base of his skull, her soft giggles letting him know that she knew what he was thinking, knew that he wanted nothing more than to take her home and explore every inch of her body all over again.

The trip to her house was a blur, and the next thing that was clear to him, they were in her room, clothing falling to the floor, hands all over each other, unwilling to wait just a few moments longer. They had a great deal of passion and impatience to deal with.

Later, as he lay in her bed, their bodies curled around each other, listening to the soft sound of Willow breathing, it occurred to Spike that Dru had glowed briefly, much like Angel had. With Angel, the glow had been an indication of the spell binding his soul. Did that mean that Dru had a soul as well? Or had she simply been somehow bound to Angel's soul, strengthening the bond that had already existed of Sire and Childe?

Had a measure of her mood swings came from the friction of the urges of her vampiric nature and a mortal soul? She had seemed more irritable and moody after... well, after the Kalderash spell. Had that been more than simply her uncertainty from Angelus vanishing, more than Darla's temper tantrum? If the spell had given Angelus and Dru both souls, did that mean he'd been given one as well? Eeehh, the thought made him shudder. Near as he could tell, the soul had mostly brought Angelus or Angel misery, and if Dru'd got one, it hadn't really helped her either.

He'd simply found himself responsible for the remnant of his family, responsible for Dru as he'd once been responsible for his mother in his mortal days. He'd had to remake himself again to become the responsible protector, to watch over Dru when she couldn't watch over herself. It was in some ways a reversal of the remaking he'd done after his turning, once again he took things seriously, once again he had to ponder consequences, although they were still often pondered after it was to late, like wondering if the demon he'd just killed had packmates that would be after him. Before, he would never have worried about it. But there was no internal conflict for him, no argument of soul against demon such as Angel had described experiencing. He was simply a blend of traits from his mortal days and his reckless vampire nights.

Willow shifted against him, her hand sliding over his chest, coming to rest over his navel. Her breath was now curling over her Claim on this neck, and that combined with the heat from her body, distracted him from introspection. He could feel the warm shape of her leg as it rested over his, feel the softness of her bare skin, still scented with the oil that she and Dru had used for their soul ritual, something slightly sweet and slightly spicy.

He could think of far better things to do than ponder nights long gone and how he'd changed through the years. His mate, his sweet wonderful Willow was here, curled so trustingly with him, sleeping peacefully. He could think of several interesting ways to wake her up... yes, silk scarves and rose petals and hmm... oh, he was definitely going to have to wake up Willow. She'd love that idea.

End part 66.

No matter how interesting the weekend turned out to be, it couldn't last forever. Eventually, as inevitably had to happen, Monday rolled around, and with it came school. Willow hadn't wanted to go, staying at home with Spike sounded much much more tempting. Especially after the way he'd woken her up, silk scarves wrapped around her body and rose petals scattered over the bed... mmm. But it had occurred to her that if she didn't go to school, someone would notice her absence.

The last thing that she needed for her relationship with Spike was Buffy kicking down the door to find out why Willow hadn't been in school and trying to stake her mate. That would definitely put a strain on her friendship with Buffy, and while the idea of playing Nurse Willow tending Patient Spike had some interesting possibilities, she'd rather it not be from actual injuries.

With reluctance, she had got ready for school, wearing one of the pairs of leather pants that she and Spike had bought on their shopping trip, in midnight blue, deciding that it went well with the light blue high collared blouse with sheer sleeves. The blouse concealed the bite mark on her neck, which had been renewed during their weekend's activities. She didn't think seeing Spike's Claim would be the best way for her friends to learn that her boyfriend was a vampire.

She went to school, again having all the attention from the people that used to ignore her. She got to hear all about Xander's date with Amy, how they had gone to a movie and had a lot of fun. She had also heard far more than she'd cared about Buffy's date with Scott that Saturday. They'd gone to the beach, and played in the water, and both of them had got sunburned, but they had 'a wonderful time'.

Finally, Buffy looked at Willow, and with a small smile, spoke again. "So, Wills. What did you do this weekend? Anything interesting?"

Willow looked at her, feeling a bit annoyed at the expression on her friends face, the one that implied that Willow's weekend couldn't have been very interesting, and felt the urge to tell her everything that she'd done since Friday. She resisted, at least partly. "Well, Friday was pretty much a lot of studying, but Saturday, I made Spike jealous of a plate of blueberry pancakes before taking him home for hours of passionate sex."

Having said that, she left the lunchroom, ignoring the wide eyes, gape-jawed expressions of Buffy and Xander, neither of whom could quite believe that Willow had just said that. With a straight face. Something very strange was definitely going on. Buffy immediately suggested going to Giles. Willow had be possessed, or under some sort of spell to be making remarks like that.

Immediately, they rushed to the library, wanting to Giles about Willow. The sooner they told Giles, the sooner they could figure out what was wrong and fix Willow. She just didn't say things like that... or wear leather pants. Definitely possessed.

"Giles! There's something wrong with Willow... and umm so very sorry to interrupt you and Miss Calander... umm... whatever it is that you were doing." Xander had been speaking before he had gotten a good look inside the library, and only to late realized that Miss Calander was sitting on Giles' lap, essentially straddling him, one hand on the side of his face. He was turning an interesting shade of crimson from seeing Giles in such a position.

Buffy stared, her mind attempting to deny the sight of the computer teacher sitting on Giles like that. Thankfully, Miss Calander was wearing pants, but... Buffy did not want to think of her watcher doing things like that. Ever.

Giles muttered something while looking skyward, possibly asking higher powers to save him from interrupting teenagers. The look that he shot towards Xander and Buffy was not a happy one. "What makes you think something is wrong with Willow?"

Xander paused, and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he spoke. "She was wearing leather pants. Tight leather pants, something that didn't look Willow-y at all. And then there was what she said... without blushing. There was something about making her boyfriend Spike jealous of blueberry pancakes and then she said... she said..."

Buffy filled in the rest for Xander, since he obviously wasn't having much luck getting those words out. "She said she took him home for hours of passionate sex. That is definitely not Willow-y. So, you see why something has to be going on with her."

Giles simply sighed, resting his head against Jenny's. This would be a very long explanation, and he didn't even have or want all of the information. "Willow has a boyfriend named Spike. He's older, and she seems very taken with him. While I neither know or wish to know about the accuracy of her ahh... summary of her weekend activities, I do know that you most likely have been busy talking about your own relationship issues rather than asking Willow about her life."

Buffy and Xander could only leave the library, feeling vaguely shamed by Giles' words. Possibly they could watch to see if Willow was showing any other behavior changes?

End part 67.

Buffy was muttering as they left the library, partly to Xander, partly to herself. "Willow and her boyfriend... the blond from the Espresso Pump. Why does Giles think I haven't been listening to Willow. I listen, really, It doesn't have to be about me all the time! I know what's going on in Willow's life..."

She walked past a group of guys talking about seeing Willow at the store, coming out of the leather shop with bags of stuff, walking with her blond boyfriend. They were also commenting that Rosenberg was 'unexpectedly hot' since she'd lost the fuzzy sweaters.

Xander could feel himself tensing as he heard the jocks talk. That was his best friend they were talking about like that! She didn't need half the school thinking that she was 'hot' or speculating about... good lord, that store sold what?!? "Oh, man... what has this guy done to Wills? Is this all his fault or... have we missed a few important things from our favorite redhead?"

Xander wanted to believe that Willow was still herself, that she wasn't possessed or enchanted or under any supernatural influences. It would be slightly better if this new behavior was because of Willow's new boyfriend. But... what if it was just Willow, finally given an opportunity to be more than a study-buddy? How would he cope if that were the case? Could he adjust to the idea of a sexual Willow? He'd have to, if he didn't want to lose his friend. Xander then realized that Buffy was still muttering about how she was Willow's friend, and she should know what was going on with Willow's life and there was no way that things between Willow and this Spike could be that serious.

Xander was beginning to think that Buffy was wrong. He had to talk to Willow. He was definitely hoping that the whole hours of sex comment was just for effect, that it wasn't the truth about her weekend. He just couldn't picture Willow that way. He left Buffy to go up the stairs, on his way to his math class, where he was hoping to follow some of the explanation of geometric laws.

After school, Xander met Amy, giving her a hug and a slightly hesitant kiss on the cheek. They'd gone out, and had fun, but this was still new between them. He didn't want to try too much too fast... and what if she didn't want him kissing her in front of everyone? She was hugging back though, and sort of tucking her head a bit and blushing. Not pulling away... maybe she was just feeling nervous about this new... something like he was?

"Hey Xan. umm I think I saw a couple of the cheerleaders trying to go find Willow and corner her for information on her boyfriend. Maybe we should go save her?" Amy was still blushing, but there was a certain twinkle in her eyes, a bit of smile at her lips that said she wasn't upset.

So, they went to the side court, where Xander knew that Willow exited the building after school. Willow was there, her fiery hair the easiest way to pick her out from the crowd of students milling about, or walking purposefully this way and that. They slipped through, and Xan reached out, tapping Willow's elbow to get her attention.

"C'mon, Amy spotted cheerleaders after you to ask about blondie-boy. Amy and I are here to save you."

Willow smiled at them, and they walked away from the school, eventually stopping at a small park on the way to Willow's house.

Amy looked at Willow, a slight grin on her face. "So... tell me some about this guy... and why is Buffy talking to herself today?"

Willow looked up, momentarily confused. "Buffy talking to herself? Ohh, umm I made this comment at lunch that wasn't what she expected. She must think I'm possessed or something. Is she still... uumm wigged?"

Amy and Xander both laughed, having seen Buffy still muttering about Willow at the end of school. Buffy was definitely still wigged by Willow's comment.

"Umm let's see. His name is Spike, well, actually, that's more of a nick-name, but it's what he uses. He was born in London, but he's traveled a lot. He's umm older than I am, and we intend to have a long and happy future together. You might have heard that we went to the mall last week, I got rid of some of the stuff from my closet that I hated."

Amy looked at Willow, as if she was inspecting something that Xander couldn't see, and then said something that confused Xander even further. "Why did your aura change? It looks different than it did last month..."

Willow sighed, one finger tucking her hair behind her ear. "That's... umm a bit complicated. I made a new friend, her name is Drusilla, and we've done a few spells... There was a big one this weekend. Or maybe... umm... maybe it has to do with Spike. See, umm... when I said he was older, I mean... oh, Xan, I want you to stay calm, okay? But, umm, Spike's a vampire. We've sort of... umm... we Claimed each other, so that's probably what Amy's picking up. He told me that it would leave a sign that could be felt."

Xander's eyes went very wide, and his jaw dropped. He tried to say something, but he only managed a few vowel sounds of surprise. That was not what he was expecting Willow to say about her boyfriend. Finally, he managed something slightly better than vowel noises. "Why... how... but, vampire! Biting... uhh... bad!"

Willow looked like she was trying not to laugh. "I know he's a vampire. As for the biting... " here Willow paused, as if remembering something. "There was no bad biting involved. The why and how... well, you know how someone ends up as a vampire. Spike loves me. Why should it matter that he's a vampire?"

End part 68


	6. parts 69 to 82

Willow looked at Amy and Xander, both of whom looked really stunned by her words. Xander wasn't shouting, but he definitely did not look happy that her Spike was a vampire. "He loves me. He wants me to be with him, and he isn't planning on turning me. I have someone handsome, intelligent, sweet... he brought me flowers and chocolates, he even wrote me poetry! What more could I ask for?"

Amy looked at Willow, her eyes showing a hint of concern. "Willow... if he Claimed you, that's really serious. Like getting married type serious. What happens if you decide that he isn't what you want in a few months?"

Willow smiled, remembering all sorts of things about her Spike. "I want Spike. I know how serious Claiming is... He said it was only done for someone that a vampire wanted to make into their childe, or their mate. I rather like the idea that he would want to be with me for the rest of... maybe forever. I like the idea of happily ever after with Spike."

Xander winced, and then he said something, something he clearly wasn't happy about. "Willow, maybe you should talk to deadb.. I mean, Angel. He should be able to explain to you... and how's he taking the break-up with Buffy anyhow? Isn't he upset that she got together with Scott so fast?"

"Buffy was already going out with Scott before the official break-up. Scott took her to that beach concert. Angel knew that she was seeing someone else, and he wasn't happy about that information. Besides... I think Dru's going to make sure he doesn't brood about Buffy or anything else. We don't want to have him talk to me right now.. She's probably still over there. She had all sorts of ideas for him... and I really don't want to see."

Xander looked a bit hurt. "You mean Angel knew that you were dating a vampire before we did? Aren't we your friends? Why did he know?"

"Angel was out walking and ran into us. They're family, so of course he knows that Spike's a vampire. He wasn't happy about it either, but we convinced him to cope. If it helps, while Giles knew that I have a boyfriend named Spike who's originally from London, he doesn't know about the whole vampire thing, and neither does Buffy."

Xander gave a slight goofy grin while making an exaggerated shudder. "Yeah, I can just see how that would go over. She'll be worried, and tell you not to get involved with a vampire... and are you sure she's not getting back with Angel?"

Willow grinned, her expression almost wicked in her amusement. "She chose Scott and sunshine. Now, she has to live with that fact. Angel knew that she was seeing Scott, and he wasn't happy. I don't think Buffy actually mentioned Scott to Angel when they broke up... Besides that, Dru won't give him up. She thinks the whole thing between Buffy and Angel was twisted and un-natural. You know, Giles asked me the same thing, about Buffy and Angel? You're growing up to be so much like him..." She wiped an imaginary tear of pride from her cheek, making the line about Xander growing up sound like those old shows with the overly sappy parent talking about how 'their little baby is all grown up'.

Xander blinked for a moment, and then as it connected what Willow was doing, he grinned in amusement. "Hey! No fair teasing your oldest, best bud about growing up to be a tweed man. That's not right... And I'd think G-Man would like to know that the big saga is over. You know, it's a happy thing, right?"

Willow smiled, feeling hopeful that Xander and Amy would be okay with the fact that Spike was a vampire. "Yes. It's definitely good that Buffy and Angel are separated."

Xander paused, the expression of something important occurring to him on his face. "Soo... Buff didn't know that you guys were researching something about Angel's soul going bye-bye? Does this Dru know about it? Did you get that fixed?"

Willow and Amy both looked at Xander, identical expression of surprise on their faces.

Xander shrugged slightly. "Hey, I can read. The papers were in the library. Let me just say his soul going away sounded like a very bad thing to me."

Xander had known about the danger to Angel's soul? The idea made Willow think, and it improved her opinion of Xander to know that he hadn't told Buffy about it or been nagging. "Yeah. Dru was actually the one who discovered the possibility. There was a clause in the gypsy spell... umm, stop me if it gets to weird or needs explained, Amy. There was a clause... and if certain things happened, his soul would be gone, and it would be a very bad thing. So, we did some research, and we didn't want Buffy to panic and maybe make things happen that would break the spell... so, there's been an effort with Giles to translate the spell to know how to prevent his soul from leaving, and Dru and I were trying to find a way to anchor it so that even if the gypsy spell broke, he'd still be, y'know, Angel."

Amy was frowning, her expression a clear statement that she had lost the explanation somewhere. "Umm... what curse? And wouldn't his soul leaving kill him? What was so unnatural about Angel and Buffy?"

Willow just grinned. "Now, that's a long and interesting story. It begins with Angel's actually a vampire, and this clan of gypsies cast a spell to give him back his soul...

End part 69.

Leaving Xander to catch Amy up on the full details of their past adventures, Willow gave a cheerful wave goodbye and continued on her way home. Xander could explain to Amy, and answer her questions, and that would keep both of them busy. It felt oddly lightening to not be keeping secrets from her friend anymore.

She had a vampire to wake up. This time, Spike could be the one bound up in silk scarves, unable to move, helpless before her every whim. Her lips curving into a smile, Willow started to move faster. After all, he wouldn't sleep forever, and she had to get there before he woke up if she wanted to surprise him. Hmm, silk scarves; Spike at her mercy, and chocolate syrup. Contemplating that series of images, she was almost running by the time she reached her house, the anticipation a sweet torment.

Spike sundaes were delicious. Especially with whipped cream.

Spike had, reluctantly, left the house after Willow was asleep. It had occurred to him that there might come a time when her parents returned to the house. That would certainly put a damper on things between him and Willow. Then, he'd thought about Dru and Angel, and what they were almost certainly doing, and realized that an apartment might not be a bad idea.

If he could get a decent apartment, he and Willow could move in together. They could have their own private space, decorated by them alone, to their tastes, rather than the slightly stuffy, impersonal feeling of her parents house or the very mechanical feel that he got from living in the abandoned factory. Hmm... if they got an apartment, they could also pick up a bigger bed to go inside their new bedroom. A big bed with solid, tall corner posts that could be used to tie silk scarves to, draped with velvet in deep red, the covers from the bed spilling to the floor like a scarlet pool, and his Willow lounging on it, her pale skin almost glowing in contrast to the sheets...

The only reason that they'd been in the factory had been for safety. It was hardly his idea of a comfortable home. Dru would most likely be moving in with Angel. He definitely didn't want to live all alone in the remnants of a factory... he'd go out of his mind with boredom.

He found a few places that could bear a bit more investigation, and noted them down. If he wanted Willow to move into an apartment with him, it might be good to have her help figure out where to go. Having a rational housemate would be such a nice change. He was looking forward to spending the rest of his existence with his Willow. She would be all the light and sunshine that he could ever ask for, and far safer than the literal sunshine. All he would need to do would be persuade her to move into an apartment with him.

He found one that seemed almost perfect. It was actually on the lowest floor of the apartment building, and was partly underground. While there were a few windows, they were fairly small, and would be easy to cover securely. The building had a pool for the residents to use, and some nice trees and shrubs around the building. Some of the shrubs were actually in front of the lowest level windows, which would be an added safety factor.

He could imagine it now, having a home with Willow. Nice, solidly built furniture in dark colors with bright throw pillows, like deep green, or crimson, or sapphire, and soft brightly patterned blankets that they could wrap around each other and then... well, there were all sorts of possibilities. A large round tub that he could fill with hot water, and make very certain that every inch of her body were clean... He could picture that now, his Willow, naked in the tub, soft bubbles clinging to her body in a tantalizing near concealment, the scented steam filling the room, and the heat making her blood rise and her skin turning a delightful pink, and this delighted noise that she could make, somewhere between a squeal and a giggle...

Yeah, it sounded very good to try to persuade her to get an apartment with him. They could stock a kitchen with food, and have decadently pleasurable surroundings. Any luxury that she wanted, he would be delighted to get for her. After all, that was how it worked, all that he was, anything that he could do for her was hers for the asking. In exchange, he got Willow.

End part 70.

Willow found herself having difficulty sleeping without Spike. She rather liked the feeling of him sprawled in the bed with her, although they had found the bed a bit small for a few things... Willow felt herself blushing at some of her memories of their weekend escapades. She didn't regret a moment of them, but they had been very intense. He was off hunting for an apartment, and had mentioned the idea that they could move in together, to have their very own place. She liked that idea a great deal.

She had planned to finish her homework and get some sleep. To rest and prepare herself for school tomorrow. That wasn't working. Spike's scent was all over her bed, and every time she laid down to try to rest, his scent started her thinking along all sorts of interesting lines of thought that were definitely not restful. Frustratingly, he was out looking for a prospective apartment, so her interesting plans for him would have to wait. Sigh.

Sleep was not working. She had to do something to occupy her mind. Hmm... the soul spell was completed, maybe she could check out the contents of that box? The one that had been sent to her by Ardeth Bey (that explained Dru calling him the water guy) and his wife, the Desert Rose. Maybe looking through the contents would help her figure out why the handwriting had seemed so familiar.

Carefully, Willow opened the box. It had been carefully packed with things; a few books, a medium sized bowl made of hammered copper, carefully wrapped bundles of herbs, a package of what had to be some sort of resinous incense, and what appeared to be an old sketchbook, with additional papers stuffed between the pages. She carefully pulled out the books and the sketchbook, deciding that the herbs and incense and bowl could stay in the box for now.

The slender leather bound books proved to be about magic. Magical theories and laws, neatly and systematically presented, hand written onto the pages in that same familiar handwriting. There were sections about summoning spirits or creatures, and along with the explanations of how were explanations of the possible risks and dangers that were associated with those spells and rituals. There were charts with acceptable substitutions for ingredients. The last book proved to be not another book of theory, but a volume of actual spells. Most seemed fairly straightforward, and there were notes that said that with enough practice, simple magics could be preformed without the chanting or diagrams or herbs, but simply by focusing the will towards the result.

There was a caution written in very big letters. WHEN CASTING A WILL BE DONE SPELL BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY AND HOW IT CAN BE TAKEN.

That was odd. Why would she ever be casting a 'will-be-done' spell anyhow? But precision in magic made a lot of sense, as did the caution to think of how a statement could be taken. Maybe this Desert Rose had encountered some sort of trouble with a will spell once upon a time? She could already see how some of these spells could be useful, and part of her wanted to start practicing immediately. But more of her was curious about the contents of the sketchbook.

Carefully, she opened it. Some of the pages were falling out, the edges yellowed with age. To her great surprise, it started with sketches of people she knew. Buffy, Xander, Giles... even Angel, Spike and Cordelia. There were also sketches of other people, someone that seemed vaguely familiar labeled Oz and two women labeled Tara and Anya, and a young girl called Dawn. But the sketches of her friends showed them older, as if they had been drawn a few years in the future, instead of many years ago. Some of the pages had small notes along the edges.

Turning through the first section of the sketches, Willow felt bafflement and a dawning suspicion fill her. The sketches and notes hinted of another world, a different future and present for Sunnydale. They hinted at Angel losing his soul, and Xander dating Cordelia. The very idea of those two together made Willow smile and shudder. Xander hated Cordelia, why would he ever date her? Why would she be involved with someone called Oz when she had her Spike? And the idea of her dating some girl/woman named Tara... she wasn't gay. Buffy didn't have a sister named Dawn; the Slayer was an only child.

Her suspicion was confirmed and turned into amazed wonder. The Desert Rose was Willow, from Sunnydale, in a time where Spike had never become her lover. That Willow had dated Oz, and then Tara, and been flung back in time by an angry and powerful figure that had come to Sunnydale, someone called Glory. She had gone back in time, and found herself with the O'Connels, teaching their son Alex. Judging from the pictures, Alex had been an adorable boy, full of intelligence and mischief. She had then met, fell in love with, and married Ardeth Bey, and gone away with him to live happily after.

The Desert Rose, a person that Giles spoke of as a powerful and mysterious sorceress was her... sort of, in an alternate possible future sort of way. She had found herself... err, the other Willow had found herself flung into a strange time and had salvaged wonderful happiness for herself. It made Willow smile as she sat in her bedroom. What a strange and frightening time the other her had lived in. Hers made so much more sense.

End part 71.

Willow was still thinking over some of the things from the sketchbook and journal that had been in the box. Eventually, she decided that as long as she had this information, she might as well try to do something with some of it. She could ask Giles if there was some way to get rid of the statue that the museum had found or would find that was the demon Acathala before someone used it to open a portal to hell. She could use some of this as a way to remember that she could learn the more difficult spells. That Xander could graduate... and what was that about a demony mayor Ascension anyhow? The picture had looked like a really big snake. Creepy.

She arrived a bit early for school, and went right to the library, certain that she could find Giles inside. She had some of the pictures from the sketchbook with her. "Giles?"

"I'm in my office. Is there something wrong, Willow?" His voice carried through the air.

"Morning Giles. Nothing's wrong with me or Spike, and I don't think anything's wrong with Angel or Dru either. I um... I got a package, and there was some stuff in it that I thought you should take a look at." Willow shuffled through some of the pages, and put the one with Acathala on the top before placing them on the desk in front of Giles.

Giles glanced at the paper and stiffened. Carefully, he picked it up, looking at the drawing, and the careful notes along the margins. Notes saying that the worthy must spill their blood on the blade, and that the blood of the worthy could close the portal again. Another note, underlined, said that only a small portion of the worthy's blood was required for either action. He then looked carefully at the paper, noting that it had yellowed slightly with age, and the ink had faded a bit, indicating that the page was several decades old.

"Willow... where did this come from? This looks almost like your handwriting, but... it's too old." There was puzzlement and worry in his voice.

Willow fidgeted slightly. "Umm remember I said that Dru and I cast a spell to send a letter to a mage she'd met? His name is Ardeth Bey, and his wife is..."

"The Desert Rose." Giles voice interrupted, his eyes growing wide. "You received a package from them? This was inside?"

"Yeah. You might want to sit down and look at the rest of the pages. There's an explanation, but it's sort of freaky weird." Willow's voice was a bit hesitant. What if he didn't believe her? What if...

"These pages... they have Buffy and Xander. Angel and Spike and a few other people... How could someone have known unless... Willow, is there a connection between you and the Desert Rose?" Giles' voice was filled with confusion.

"Umm... turn a few more pages. There's a section with someone called Tara, and there's an explanation in the margins of those pages." She felt a bit awkward explaining this. It all seemed a bit unreal.

There was the sound of a sudden sharp intake of breath as it finally clicked for Giles. "The Desert Rose is... you? Or an alternate possible version... good heavens. I know that you said the spell to transport the letter didn't tire you... goodness."

"Yeah. Goodness. Some of the stuff seems so unbelievable... like Xander and Cordelia dating. Or Vamp Willow. But some of it made me worry a bit, like Acathala and the demony mayor Ascension thing." Willow was feeling a bit better now, a bit less nervous.

"To blatantly change the subject, how are you and Spike getting along? Have you encountered any problems due to his being a vampire?" Giles sounded a bit flustered.

Willow looked at Giles, a bit surprised by the words that had just emerged from his lips. "You know about... when did you figure it out? You aren't going to freak out and give me a lecture are you?"

Giles removed his glasses, polishing them absently as he tried to phrase his reply. "I suppose a lecture about the risks of becoming involved with a vampire would be rather pointless at this time. I'm sure that you heard it many times as I attempted to explain it to Buffy, and I have no doubt that you felt justified in looking through some of the books to gain further information. As for when I discovered his health, it was the night of the soul anchoring. It was in the way he moved, and how pale he was. I have been trained to spot vampires, you know. There is more to being a watcher than having big books about demons. I also noticed the mark on his neck, and assumed that it was from you ahmm... Claiming him. Please spare me the details. Please."

She managed to smother the giggle that his words provoked. "No, no problems. Things are wonderful between us, and we're thinking about what to do after I graduate. He's thinking that I should see some of England before I go to school, and that I should pick somewhere away from here. I think he just wants to avoid Buffy, or maybe the Hellmouth. He's made a few steps towards rebuilding a relationship with Angel, who's close family, either his Sire or Grandsire, your Angelus Chronicle was a bit uncertain on that point. Dru and Angel are... umm... bonding or something, and I don't want any details from them."

Giles couldn't quite manage to conceal the shudder that went through him. "I have come to value Angel as an individual and a researcher, and he has many good points, but I assure you, I have no desire to know any details of his err... sexual activities."

He drank from his teacup, and returned his attention to the papers that Willow had brought. "I think it might be best if I take a few steps to look into these matters. Acathala is a serious matter, and the idea of an Ascension... this definitely bears a bit of research. Fortunate that it looks like we have time."

End part 72.

Willow was feeling good about things during school. She had Spike, who loved her, and would never leave her. She had Dru, her new friend, someone that had promised to teach her about magic and languages. Willow was pretty sure that her future was looking up. She had people in her life that cared, cared far more than her biological parents ever had. She had a wonderful man that loved her, that wanted her to be happy with her life, and could take care of her so that she would never be forced to hold a job that she hated simply to pay for the household expenses.

Xander was still her oldest friend, and he wasn't complaining about her choice of partner, although that might be more because he knew it wouldn't work than from actually liking the idea. Which reminded her, she would have to introduce Xander to Spike. Xander seemed to be happy with Amy, so he was finally having some good luck with romance as well.

Buffy was getting more involved with Scott. They were seeing movies, and going for coffee together, all the sorts of things that 'normal girls' did with their boyfriends. She seemed to have finally decided to be happy that Willow had a boyfriend, and was operating on the firm belief that Willow's statement had been purely a fabrication for the shock value. Willow had sighed and decided not to argue with the blonde. Why waste her breath? Instead, she sat there and nodded as Buffy talked about Scott, and how much fun it was to spend time with him, how nice and normal it made her feel.

Willow had to hide a smile when Buffy had brought up the idea of group events, with all of them bringing their dates along. She had simply claimed that Spike had a tricky schedule, and let Buffy and Xander plan double dates, confident that this wasn't the best way to explain Spike's health to her friend the Slayer.

She would eventually have to explain it. Willow wasn't naive enough to think that she could keep Buffy from finding out forever. She was confident that she should be able to figure out a good way to let Buffy know, a way that wouldn't result in the impalement of her boyfriend. Possibly let her know in a very public place? Somewhere that Buffy wouldn't be able to go all Slayer on him?

That had possibilities. Maybe it would be better if Xander and Amy were there? Friendly witnesses to reassure Buffy that Willow was safe? Hmm... maybe Giles would be a better witness then. Giles at least understood that since she and Spike had claimed each other, he wouldn't hurt her.

Actually, that might be a good idea. Maybe she could talk about it with Giles, see if he had any advice for how to let her friend the Slayer know about her boyfriend the vampire. She made her way towards the library, and on the way, she noticed Cordelia talking to Owen, and Owen even looked like he was smiling. Maybe he was getting over his crush on Buffy... maybe Owen could move on now. Willow wasn't certain that Cordelia would be good for Owen, or anyone for that matter, but at least she wouldn't be comparing him to her secret vampire.

Willow giggled slightly, trying to picture Cordelia hiding a vampire of her very own. Spike was so passionate and intense, she was certain that she would never be able to hide him, not that she wanted to. If he was normal in that regard, and judging from how little she'd heard from Dru, she was guessing that he was, Cordelia would never have time for her social life and a secret vampire lover. She would probably have been a lot mellower if she had her very own vampire.

She went into the library, still amused by the idea of secret vampires, and settled at the table. She pulled open her math book and started working on her assignment to explain why she was in the library if anyone not aware of the bumpy things in the night stopped in, which was actually pretty unlikely. The last time anyone had voluntarily come into the library was actually Owen, looking up poetry by Emily Dickinson.

About the time that Willow was finishing her assignment, Giles came into the library, looking slightly rumpled and smiling slightly. He looked over at Willow and gave a small smile, and offered a greeting. "Good afternoon, Willow. Is there something in particular that you needed?"

"Advice, actually. I know that eventually, Buffy will have to know about Spike, more than just he's my boyfriend. She'll find out about the... umm... not tanning part. I'd really like a way that I could sort of break it to her gently, and in a way that won't send her off trying to stake him." Her voice was quiet, betraying the seriousness of her words.

"That does sound like a reasonable thing to hope for. Perhaps a bit tricky, but a good idea. Hmmm.... what have you come up with so far?" Giles was taking her request seriously.

"Public place, fairly crowded, enough that she can't do slayage because of witnesses. People she trusts to vouch for my safety from him, because he wouldn't hurt me. I thought maybe I could have Xander and Amy explain, but then I thought that since you know more about..." Willow paused slightly, hearing footsteps outside. "Englishmen, you would be the best choice to explain things to her. He loves me, and he wouldn't ever hurt me. I just want her to understand that."

Giles gave a small smile. "Yes, I suppose I am the local expert on... Englishmen. Let me know when, and I will try to be there so that I can explain things to her."

End part 73.

Willow had told Spike about her concern over explaining things to Buffy. Her fears that Buffy might try to hurt him, or that she would get upset about Dru and Angel, which would be a bit hypocritical on account of her dating Scott before and after dumping Angel. He had chuckled a bit, and called Buffy a daft chit, but he understood her concerns. It could be a bit tricky to introduce vampires to a Slayer.

They had discussed that for a while, going over Willow's concerns and fears, and trying to figure out a plan for breaking the news to Buffy. Willow had also mentioned asking for any advice that Giles could offer on that matter. Spike had laughed at the possible witness caused change of the word 'vampires' to 'Englishmen'.

Willow had suddenly looked thoughtful, and had spoke again, a twinkle in her eyes hinting at plans. "I'm going to have to introduce you to Xander at some point. He's been my friend forever, and he wants to meet you. He also knows about you being a vampire... he hasn't tried to say anything against it. AND" Willow put her hand over Spike's lips, forestalling his possible protest about meeting the boy that his Willow had once had a crush on. "he's dating Amy Madison now."

"So, he's got his own bird? Good. You are my Willow now, he missed his chance." Spike then pulled Willow onto his lap, kissing her lips in a passionate reminder that she was with him, not someone else.

Eventually, their lips parted, and Willow regained a measure of breath. "A bit of jealousy? You don't need to be. I love you. You've Claimed me, and I've Claimed you, so I'm not going anywhere."

"I know... I... love you too. Just worry more than I should. There's been to many times when something good was taken away from me. It makes me worry about good things now being taken away as well. You, this new family thing with Angel. It almost seems too good." His voice was soft, his words spoken into her hair.

"I know that feeling. Before I met you, I was just... mousy little Willow, the person that nobody wanted, pretty much nobody really even thought of me as a girl, and now..." Willow's voice was soft edged memory.

"You were never a mouse! You are the most gorgeous creature in this whole miserable town. You have this hair like fire, and eyes like gems, filled with beauty and passion and life, and skin like fine porcelain. I've only seen one person in my whole bloody existence that could come close... and I was mortal then, and to obsessed with some worthless socialite to see it." Spike's voice was almost angry, fiercely defensive of his Willow.

"Umm... Spike? Remember how Dru and I cast a spell to get in touch with this sorcerer that she knew? The one she called the water-guy? He's this powerful desert maji, mentioning him made Giles sit up and look very interested, and his wife is called the Desert Rose." Willow wanted to tell him, she had the feeling that the other, older Willow might have met Spike's human self.

"Yeah, powerful fellows, those desert maji. They guard these ancient tombs and some serious curses from people... some very nasty stuff. Most of them don't have much to do with the rest of the world. That one, the one we met, he got involved with a British couple, something about a mummy and an old curse... he married this european sorceress. Never met her. He knew Dru and me for vampire though. Didn't seem to be afraid either."

Willow carefully moved from Spike's lap, picking up the old sketchbook full of pictures. "This came in the box from the pair of them. I think... it might be interesting for you to look at it.

Looking a bit puzzled, Spike turned through the pages, his puzzlement only growing. "Luv, these... these are your pals. Only... they look older. Handwriting looks like yours too... paper's old though. And who't this Tara anyhow?"

He kept carefully turning the pages, and suddenly stopped, gaping at a page with what appeared to be a poetry recital, and a sketch of a young man with thin glasses and a sheaf of pages held crumpled in one hand. "Oh bloody hell... this... it was her? She was you? But... how? That was years ago..."

Willow sat beside him, her hand resting on his. "As near as I can tell, some evil major nasty sent a Willow back in time from her second year of college, and she ended up in the thirties. She drew pictures of the people she ended up with, and now... she's the Desert Rose."

"Well, that makes me feel a bit better. She was one of the most striking women I ever met, gorgeous. I had a bit of a soft spot for her then... kept thinking about her, didn't want her to know how I'd changed. She'd liked me, remembered me as I used to be, the shy poet. I didn't want her to see me as a ruthless vampire." A smile hovered almost on his face, the expression so close.

"I like all your parts. And that sounded... not like what I was meaning." Willow could feel herself blushing, and the smile spilled over Spike's features, becoming a sensual invitation.

"So, you like all my parts... any particular favorites?" He brushed his fingers over the side of her throat, a hint of more intimate things that they could be doing.

"Your eyes, and your cheekbones. Not to mention those rippling muscles." Willow smiled back, her own expression hopeful. "And umm... I picked up some more ice cream."

With a delightful grin, Spike picked her up, his expression hinting at delights to come. He stopped in the kitchen long enough to grab the ice cream, a spoon, and the chocolate sauce. "I say we have sundaes then."

end part 74.

The plan eventually was worked out to catch a movie at the local theatre with Amy and Xander. That way, they could meet each other without Xander or Amy feeling very threatened, and there was a new movie that Spike was practically begging to go see. It was a horror movie, in a historical setting, and was supposed to have extensive and graphic fight scenes. He had spent a few hours persuading Willow to go with him to watch it. Honestly, she hadn't objected to the idea that much, but it had been so much fun to let him try to convince her... they would be meeting Xander and Amy for the nine thirty showing, the only one that started entirely after sunset.

Willow smiled, stretching her stiff muscles. She was taking a lot more hot soaking baths now, a side effect of her relationship with Spike. The occasional hours of passionate sex could leave her feeling stiff and sore, and a long soak in scented bubbles would make her feel better. She wouldn't give up her Spike though, even if it meant that she never had a single muscle ache again in her life. Instead, she let them serve as a reminder of who she had in her life, and she made an effort to make certain that he wouldn't forget either. She was his and he was hers... all that she was for everything that he was.

She got herself a bit of a snack, and sat in her chair, leafing through one of the books of spells sent to her by the Desert Rose, the other Willow Rosenberg, or would she be Willow Bey now? That sounded like some resort, a vacation hotel. There were healing spells, and several types of binding spells, as well as a few basic barriers and detections. She was smiling, already thinking of all sorts of ways that those spells could be useful as she turned to see what was on the next page.

The writing at the top of the page almost leapt out at her, 'To Conceive a Child with a Vampire Father' written in bold, flowing letters. Willow felt her breath catch as she looked over the page. She had come to truly appreciate the notes that were always placed underneath the spell's title or description, and immediately turned her gaze to them, curious what sort of requirements this spell would have. The woman had to be of adult age, a woman, not a child. She had to want to bear a childe by the vampire in question, that specific vampire, it wouldn't just work for any vampire. He also had to have some sort of emotional bond to the woman, and there was a potion, mixed under the night sky, that was divided into two parts and drank by the couple before they went off and... umm... did the physical part to help conceive. Her eyes were growing wide, and she felt her mind spinning with the implications. She and Spike could have a family with this spell...

But what sort of family? Would the children be human? If they were, would their father consider them weak? She turned her eyes back to the text, hoping that the details would be there. Sure enough, they were there, although they were much less precise. It said that the resulting offspring would be stronger and faster than a human, but not as powerful as a vampire. Their senses would be better than a humans, and they might have a craving for blood, but should be able to live without it. The offspring would reflect as a human does, have only the affects of holy water or symbols that a human would experience, and could go into the sunlight, although they would be more vulnerable to it than a normal human.

She felt herself smiling with happiness. She didn't want to have children right away, she was still too young for that. But, there might come a time when she would want her very own child to love, and this would enable her and Spike to have their very own child. She couldn't contain her delight, and went to find her vampire and tell him about the ritual right away.

As it turned out, he was asleep. She smiled, and ran her fingers over the outlines of his muscles, touching with feather light caresses over his skin. She explored once again his now familiar body, tracing over the curve of his ribcage, the slight edge of his hip, the line of muscle along his stomach... He woke up, his eyes golden with desire, and it was actually some time before conversation was possible. Not that she minded in the least.

Finally, he looked at her, his pale hair tousled, the darker roots showing through the ruffled locks. "What did you have in mind when you came in here, Red?

Smiling at his hair, Willow settled herself against his shoulder, shifting her position slightly until she felt entirely comfortable. "I was looking through the spell book. I found a ritual... if we use it, we can have children. Our children, yours and mine. I thought we might want that in the future, but not right away, on account of I'm still a bit young to be a mommy and everything."

"We... kids? Of our own? My kids... really? Do you want... That isn't something I ever thought would be possible." Spike's voice was surprised, and full of tangled emotions.

"Yes silly, our very own flesh and blood children. Ours, not anyone else's. There are a few stipulations for the couple, which we have, and a potion that needs to be mixed under the open night sky, and then we would... umm.. need to go and umm... put in some effort. The spell enables, the rest has to be our own efforts. As for do I want children... not right now. But maybe in the future, after college and a bit of travel, I'd like to have a family."

"That sounds... amazing. But not something for right away." Spike's voice was almost a purr, and his eyes were golden again, reminding Willow of an overgrown and playful cat.

"Did you have something else in mind then? I could study, I have a math test monday. Or I could go back to looking through some spells..." WIllow's words were cut off when Spike kissed her, his hands tracing patterns over her back. She sighed into his kiss, melting into his embrace.

As it turned out, they were almost late for the movie.

Xander and Amy were already standing there, waiting in the lobby for them to arrive. They had thrown their things on hastily, which was much less apparent on Spike. Willow's hair was a wild tousle, and her loose blouse had merely been dropped on over a floral skirt, and a scarf wrapped over her throat as a flimsy barrier between the gaze of the world and the freshly renewed Claim on her throat. Spike had left his mark open to the world's sight, although it wasn't as if there was much that could be done to hide it.

"ummm, Wills, there's this handy thing called a watch... they tell time to keep us from being late. See, just like mine?" Xander held his wrist up, his words teasing. They came tumbling out before he noticed the mark on Spike's neck, which caused him to stare at it with open mouthed shock, small movements of his mouth indicating that he was making an effort to speak and failing.

Willow could feel herself turning crimson. "We ummm... we lost track of time. Something... we were otherwise occupied."

Spike looked at Xander, his gaze clearly evaluating Willow's oldest friend. "Your staring, most people think that's a bit rude. In case you don't know, that little love bite there means I belong to Red. All binding and permanent like."

"But... you.. she's not... umm... does it stick? I mean umm..." Xander was clearly floundering for words.

Amy was looking, and she noticed the similar mark on Willow's throat. "That's serious... and permanent."

Spike grinned, his arm going around Willow's shoulder. "Yeah... permanent. Red's easily powerful enough to make it stick, and I am happy with her. All that she is for all that I am. I'm just not quite the traditional ring sort of guy."

The movie went well, although Xander did swat at Spike's hand when the vampire tried to steal a bit of his popcorn, sort of awkwardly stopping as he pulled his hand back when he realized who and what he had just swatted. "Hey, get your own popcorn!"

Spike had just shrugged, looking unworried. "You can relax, I'm not about to go eating Red's friends. She hasn't got that many, and I want to encourage her to have people other than that daft chit... fluffy."

end part 75.

Xander and Amy had been surprised how normally the evening had gone. It had been so easy for them to forget that Spike wasn't just a normal guy. By the end of the evening, after watching the movie, Xander and Amy had come to the conclusion that it didn't matter, as long as Willow was happy. Besides, it wasn't as if they would be able to persuade her to change her mind. So, Willow's boyfriend wouldn't be taking her out for a sunny day on the beach. She sunburned anyhow.

After discussing the movie on the way out, it was suggested that maybe they should go to another movie together, next time there was something they all wanted to see. To their surprise, Spike and Xander both thought the idea sounded okay. Spike had been prepared to dislike Xander, simply because he had caused Willow so much frustration, while Xander hadn't expected to ever find a vampire anything like enjoyable company. Spike had found a measure of acceptance from Willow's friends. It also pleased Spike that Giles, who seemed to be the closest thing to a father that Willow had, excluding Ira Rosenberg on a technicality, seemed unopposed to his relationship with Willow.

They had split off into couples, waving cheerful goodbyes as they parted company. Watching the mortal teens walk away, Spike hugged Willow close to him, smiling at her. He was wondering how he had been so lucky. He had his Willow, the most wonderful woman that he'd ever met. He had Angelus back in his life, without the difficulties that had been present before. He had the potential to gain friends, or at least, Willow's friends. All in all, the only possible fly in the ointment was the Slayer.

"Red, how much trouble do you think your friend Buffy will be?"

Willow leaned against him, considering the question. "On the one hand, you haven't hurt me and don't intend to, and it's my life instead of hers, so she shouldn't get too upset. There's also the whole she had this thing with Angel.... glass houses and stones, you know. Except that Buffy has never been a particularly logical person to begin with..."

"Which would explain the Angel thing." Spike couldn't quite keep from offering the comment.

"Exactly. So, I think she won't like it, even though there's no real cause for alarm. As for how upset she gets... I think that will depend on how much other stuff is bothering her. If she's had a bad day, she'll be more upset than if it's been a quiet day."

Smiling, Spike changed the topic to getting their own apartment, talking about some of the idea that he'd had. Like the huge four post bed with crimson silk sheets, and a garden tub to fill with steaming scented bubbles, and a few of the suggestions for what they could try in those bubbles. Still whispering naughty suggestions, he took her by the apartment complex that he'd looked at, thinking that if she liked it, she could talk to someone there in the day, and get a look at the inside to see if it still looked promising.

Willow was all in favor of them having their own apartment, and some of Spike's suggestions for what they could do sounded down right hedonistic. She grinned, hoping that they could get their own place, maybe even a two bedroom apartment so that she could have some more space for practicing spells. Life was looking better and better for her.

In the end, Willow found herself reviewing her math homework in the library while Buffy came in during study hall. Buffy was complaining about some annoyance or other from Principal Snyder, and then she turned and saw Willow. Unfortunately, Willow's shirt collar was just low enough that Buffy caught sight of part of the bite on her throat, and in moments, Buffy was at Willow's side, tilting her head to inspect the mark, her fingers poking at Willow's throat.

"Hey, hey! Wpat are you doing? Buffy, stop poking me. What is wrong with you?" Willow was not quite certain why Buffy was kneading her neck as if it were a lump of dough, but she didn't like it.

"You... that's a bite mark! When did some vamp sink their teeth into my friend? Where can I find them to stake their miserable..." Buffy was worried and angry and afraid, all rolled up into one frantic bundle.

"Can you please calm down? I'm perfectly safe. I promise. Umm..." Willow floundered a bit, trying to find the words to explain this to Buffy.

"What do you mean, you're perfectly safe? That bite looks pretty deep." Buffy was at least sitting still for the moment.

"Ummm right. Remember I said Spike's schedule made group dates a bit tricky? It's a bit more complicated. He's a... well, he's actually a vampire. That's from him." Seeing her friend about to loose her temper, Willow jumped up, her hand resting for a moment over Buffy's mouth in an effort to delay her friend's outburst.

"He's NOT GOING TO HURT ME!!! That's not a hurty full bite, it's a Claiming bite. Sort of like the vampire version of an engagement ring. He loves me, and I love him, and I'm NOT going to let you go stake him!"

"Exactly what were you doing that he managed to Claim you!?!" Buffy's voice was shocked and concerned, but she wasn't trying to get a stake.

Willow turned crimson, trying to find a way to explain THAT to Buffy. "Ummm... we were... ahhh... you don't want to know. Trust me. You DON'T want the details. I'm just going to say I wanted him to Claim me, and I Claimed him as well."

Buffy's eyes got very wide, and she sat down with a thump. "You... Claimed... but... vampire... sex... bad."

Willow smiled, her mind returning to some of her memories. "No, not 'bad' at all. Really really... good. Giles can explain the whole Claiming thing a bit better for you, I'll just go get some lunch. Bye, Buff."

end part 76.

Willow headed for the lunch area, meeting Xander and Amy with a cheerful smile. "Hey, glad I could find you. Umm... maybe I should give you a bit of a warning... Buffy just found out about Spike's umm... health, and she's taking it ... not well."

Xander gave a small shake of his head. "And is this a surprise to any of us? She doesn't like that sort, except for dead boy. How'd she find out?"

Willow blushed, staring at her sleeve for a moment before the words came out very softly. "She saw the mark on my neck."

Amy looked up, startled by the statement. "Oh dear. Is she freaking out? Threatening harm and sharp pointy things?"

Willow nodded. "She started with that. I told her it wasn't like that, he wasn't going to hurt me, and said that Giles could explain what a Claim meant. She'd umm.. she asked what we were doing when it happened."

Xander paled before speaking, his words faintly pleading. "Please say that you didn't tell her. Please don't tell us either..."

Willow had to giggle at that. "I just said that she didn't want to know."

Things seemed almost alright for a while. Willow and Spike were happy, and the apartment had seemed promising, although there wouldn't be a vacancy for another two months. Xander and Amy were growing closer, and also becoming more comfortable with Spike. Spike and Angel were rebuilding their relationship, becoming family and friends once more.

Unfortunately, Buffy was having serious problems adjusting to the idea that her friend was involved with a vampire. Especially since it seemed that Willow was willing to let her Spike bite her, to taste her blood.

Angel showed up at Willow's house one evening, Dru at his side muttering about sticky taffy and trees. Angel was scowling, his expression not the previously normal brooding or the more relaxed expressions he tended to have now.

"What's wrong?" Willow didn't know what had them so upset, but there was a feeling that it would become her problem as well.

"The nasty taffy girl wants to put out your fire, little tree! She wants to take away your tiger, and replace him with a miserable mutt!" The words would have seemed almost nonsensical except for the seriousness that Dru had when she spoke them.

Glancing at his lover a moment, Angel gave his own answer, which was a good deal less cryptic. "Buffy is having a fit about you being involved with Spike. For some reason, she thinks that I should do something about it."

Willow sank into her chair, stunned by the actions of her friend. "But... why would she think you would do anything? She broke up with you, it's not like you owe her anything. Besides that, it isn't any of her business who or what I'm dating or anything else as long as I'm safe."

Angel was scowling, clearly unhappy with Buffy's behavior. "I almost think she was forgetting that I'm a vampire, the way she was going on about things. 'oh, he bit her, it's terrible, somebody has to talk some sense into her...' Did anyone explain that he Claimed you, and you Claimed him?"

Willow sighed, reaching out for Spike's hand. "I told her it wasn't a hurty-full bite it was a Claiming Bite, and that I'd Claimed him. I umm.. I left after telling her that she really didn't want me to explain what we were doing when he bit me... Giles was supposed to try to explain Claiming to her. I bet she just didn't listen."

Dru looked at her, her expression puzzled. "But why not explain to the taffy girl what you were doing? Obviously, she must need a few tips, or else she wouldn't be so cranky..."

Spike collapsed into helpless laughter, and Angel simply looked at Dru, as if he couldn't quite believe the words that had just come from her mouth. Willow giggled, trying to picture that conversation in her mind.

"I don't think it would go over very well, and I know I'd be absolutely crimson. I just don't think she'd understand the part where sharp teeth running over skin can feel really, really... ummm, nice. Or why I let him bite me. You both understand, but..." Willow knew that she was blushing as she remembered some of the things that she and Spike had done together.

Angel smiled, the sort of eye glazed expression that said he was remembering something involving sharp teeth playing over naked skin as well. "I don't think she'd understand either. She's too busy trying to be dominant all the time... maybe we should give her a leather crop to use with her new boy toy."

Spike shuddered, his expression one of intense dismay. "Oh, that was cruel, you bloody... I do not need pictures like that going through my head! Enough to give any self respecting vampire nightmares... glleeeuuugh."

Willow looked at Angel, her expression now teasing and full of mischief. "Well, Angel, if you have a thing about riding crops, I'm sure that Dru will be delighted to take care of all your personal needs... And if Buffy bugs you again, well, you expressed a measure of concern about the situation, I insisted that I'm keeping my Spike. Everyone can be happy, except maybe Buffy. I need to have a talk with her, she should be worrying more about her boyfriend than about mine or her ex, emphasis on EX boyfriend."

Dru laughed, and whispered something into Angel's ear that caused him to look at her in surprise. Then he pulled her close and nibbled lightly over the side of her neck, producing a delighted squeal from Dru. She clung to him, her arms sliding around his waist, caressing the curve of his muscles suggestively.

Willow cleared her throat. "Ahh, Dru? I know you like having Angel all to yourself, and I know he's got great muscles, but... I do NOT want to see the two of you having naughty vampire sex in front of me in my bedroom. Okay?"

Angel looked as if he was trying to blush. Dru gave an exaggerated pout, and then with a wicked grin suggested "You could turn around."

Spike threw a pillow at her.

end part 77.

Buffy seemed normal on Monday, wearing something very fashionable, talking about Scott and this movie that they were planning to see later that week. She had a new deep red leather jacket, one with numerous pockets that probably let her carry a considerable slaying Arsenal. Willow wondered just how much Buffy had in those pockets.

She even did her usual thing of paying minimal attention during English, the one class that she and Willow had together in the morning. Things seemed almost normal, but Willow still had a feeling... Angel and Dru had said several things about Buffy's persistent efforts to convince Angel to try to separate her and Spike. Could Buffy have given up so easily? Somehow, Willow doubted that very much.

Xander had gotten in trouble for dozing off to sleep during biology, so the new teacher had made him come in during his lunch and help with some of the cleaning after the dissections. It was Mr. Weiss' theory that a detention merely served to promote boredom and a lack of thought. If the punishment instead involved some actual thought and effort, it would have a more lasting impression. He also seemed to be rather knowledgable about biology. Willow hoped that he wasn't a) killed by a demon in his first year or b) some sort of dangerous demon himself.

Amy had been sitting beside Willow in the courtyard, asking for a few details on Claiming, which Willow had been willing to share. Looking up, Willow saw Buffy approaching, and her words faltered to a halt before a slightly weak 'Hey Buffy.' emerged.

"Hi, Wills and Amy. What'cha talking about?" Buffy settled to the ground beside them, a bright smile on her face, one finger twirling slightly around a lock of hair.

Smiling slightly, Amy spoke. "I was just trying to get Willow to share a few details. She accidentally said something about a Spike sundae..."

"Oh, girl talk. Sounds good... tell more, Wills."

Their discussion over lunch was most definitely one Xander would be glad to have missed. Buffy had a few things to say about Scott, and she explained a few of the differences between how Scott and Angel had kissed. Amy had shared some about Xander kisses, and a bit of slightly embarrassed speculation about a few more personal things. Willow had found herself with the most details to share, although she was actually quite careful what she mentioned. Nothing involving sharp teeth, nothing involving being tied up with silk scarves, or tying Spike up either. That had definitely ruled out some things, and there was a lot more that she simply didn't want to mention during the semi crowded lunch hour.

Even if she was keeping a great deal to herself, their jaws still dropped from her words. Something between shock, envy, jealousy and surprise... It was obvious that even the few things Willow had been willing to share were a lot more than they'd expected. Buffy just sort of stared, clearly trying to match the Willow she remembered with a person indulging in passionate sex with a vampire. She didn't seem to be having much success.

"Go Willow." was Amy's stunned response, her eyes a bit glazed.

With an almost wicked smile, Willow's words seemed very clear to Buffy and Amy. "I intend too. I found my wonderful guy, and I promise, I intend to keep him."

end part 78.

Buffy caught up with Willow in the library after school, where the Slayer was supposed to practice her staff work with Giles before patrol. Buffy's expression said that she was intent on a goal, and it seemed that her goal was to talk to Willow. "Hey, Willow... just the person I was looking for. I wanted to have a word or two with you about that boyfriend of yours..."

Giles stopped in the stacks, able to hear Buffy's words clearly, but not actually within sight for the Slayer. What did Buffy want to say about Spike? He'd met the vampire, and while he didn't quite feel comfortable with him, he seemed utterly devoted to Willow. Giles held no doubts that Spike would take very good care of Willow, quite possibly in ways that he did not want to know about, judging from the Claiming bite on her neck.

Willow would be very safe with Spike, and she seemed to be very happy with him. What more could Buffy want for her friend? Part of him was afraid to find out, another part had him listening with drawn and nervous breath.

"What did you want to say about Spike?" Willow's voice was calm.

"Why? I mean, why Spike? Why a vampire at all, Wills? Why not find a nice, breathing human guy? Someone that you can grow old with, have children with, you know, live happily ever after? I mean, he's a vampire! What if he decides that he's tired of you and just goes away, or that he wants a younger girl?" Buffy sounded serious, and perhaps she was. Perhaps these thoughts had been plaguing her through her relationship with Angel.

"I'm not with him because he's a vampire. I'm with him because I love him, and he just happens to be a vampire. I don't want some guy just because he's alive, I want someone who loves me, someone that will smile like I'm the most wonderful person in the world, someone that notices what I like and what I don't like, someone that will offer me flowers and poetry and chocolates, and also let me explore passion and desire and try out new things without trying to tell me if it is or isn't me. My Spike does all of that for me. We've claimed each other, he can't just decide to go away, and if for some wild reason he tried, I'll track him down, chain him up and beat him into submission! But he WON'T LEAVE ME. That's sort of the point." Willow was glaring at Buffy, her expression one of barely controlled frustration and anger.

"But... happily after, and kids and... sunshine! He can't give you kids and sunshine!" Buffy's words had almost a desperate edge to them.

"Buffy, we live over the Mouth of Hell, how normal do you think anything's ever going to get? He loves me, I love him, and he's going to be with me forever. I found a spell that will let us have kids later, and you know I always burn in the sunshine anyhow, so that's not really a big loss." Willow sighed, sitting in one of the chairs. "Why are you spending so much time worrying about me and my boyfriend anyhow? Haven't you got a boyfriend of your own? Does the name Scott sound familiar? Why don't you let me manage my own love life and you can worry about maintaining yours?"

"There's a spell to let vampires have kids?" Buffy sounded stunned.

"Yeah, although it does require a sort of elaborate ritual and certain moon requirements and a potion and, umm... biting. I don't think you'd like it very much." Willow sounded far too casual about the spell.

With a muffled sound that might have been a sob, Buffy fled from the room, ignoring the fact that she was supposed to be training.

Giles emerged from between the shelves, a small frown on his face. "How complicated is this ritual that you found? I don't want you endangering yourself."

Willow gave a small smile, almost apologetic. "Not as complicated as I made it sound. It suggests the formal blessing of the Sire if possible, another vampire relative if not for the vampire, and there's this potion that has to be mixed under the night sky, with the moon present in the sky, and sort of a chant in Latin... drink the potion, and then umm... the sex, which is where the biting would have to come in. Umm..." Willow was blushing now, and she couldn't quite look at Giles. "It only works if both people really want to have a baby, and the mommy to be has to accept that daddy is a vampire, which calls for letting him bite her... and I really can't see Buffy letting that happen. Wouldn't want to see it..."

Giles made a small sound, sort of like 'hmmmmm' as he polished his glasses. He looked at Willow, his expression a bit restrained, sort of thoughtful.

Sighing, Willow translated the little noise. "You aren't certain you approve of me crushing Buffy's lingering hopes that someday, she and Angel will end up back together and live happily ever after, except for that little part where he's a vampire? Angel isn't going back to Buffy, not now, not ever, and he has Dru to keep him company in all sorts of naughty ways. Buffy figured that she wanted a normal life, now she gets exactly what she said she wanted, Scott Hope. It was her choice, I'm just trying to point out that she has to live with it."

"That does sum things up. It did seem a bit harsh the way you phrased that... You think that she's still... that she still has feelings for Angel?" Giles sounded dismayed.

"Do bad things creep around at night? Of course Buffy still has a thing for Angel. I just don't know how much she realizes it. She's been asking him to do something about me being involved with a vampire, and complaining to Angel that I let Spike bite me. Exactly what does she think he should do about it and why? I'm happy, Spike's happy... and Angel and Dru are happy together as well! She doesn't need to worry about us! What she should be focusing on is slaying dangerous baddies and her relationship with Scott."

"Hmmmmm." Giles didn't look particularly happy at this confident announcement. "You say that she's been bothering Angel about you and Spike?"

"Spike and I had been considering getting an apartment here in town. She's definitely been bothering them, bad enough that Dru's asking if we can hurt her, or if the 'nasty taffy girl' needs to be told exactly how to have a satisfying sex life. Please don't ask, it was Dru's suggestion, and I don't think I want to know."

Giles gave a small shudder, as if he didn't really want to know but had a few ideas. "Please, try to persuade Dru to avoid giving Buffy instructions for improving her sex life. I don't think they would be helpful, and I most assuredly do not want to hear about them."

end part 79.

Willow started to notice that there seemed to be guys watching her when she and Spike went places. Various guys from school would be there, and she could feel them watching her, although she had no idea why. Buffy hadn't spoken to her for two days, and then had resumed asking her 'why Spike? Why a vampire?' as if the idea was completely incomprehensible to her. It was exasperating, both to Willow and Spike.

They had gone to the Bronze, planning to meet Xander and Amy. Spike had gone to get Willow a drink when she felt someone standing behind her. Turning, Willow saw Percy West, one of the football players. She had also helped tutor him with his math. His gaze sort of flickered to someone over to the left and went back to Willow before he spoke. "Hey, Willow. Maybe you can clear something up for me?"

"Percy... umm, what's the confusion?" Willow was wondering what he could be referring to. Wasn't he doing all right in his classes this quarter?

"Seems that Buffy is trying to set you up with somebody, she keeps trying to send guys your way. Thing is, I've been watching, and you seem pretty tight with that blond guy. Care to help me understand?" He had a smile, and from a distance it might even look as if he was trying to pick her up.

Willow sighed, feeling as if something inside had just cracked, perhaps a bit of trust? "That's Spike. He's my boyfriend, and we're very serious. The problem is that Buffy can't stand the idea that I'm with him and happy. I just had no idea that she was... oh dear."

"Willow, who's this guy?" Spike had made his way back, and he wasn't certain that he liked some other male talking to his lovely Willow.

Smiling at him, Willow reached out for Spike's arm, pulling him to her side. "Spike, this is Percy West, one of the guys from school. He just told me something very interesting."

Percy looked at Spike, and as he wasn't a complete idiot, he could tell that Spike wasn't the sort of person to try to push around. "Her friend Buffy is trying to toss guys towards Willow. Making comments like "Willow needs a good guy in her life' and 'I'm sure she'd love a guy like you asking her out'. I was asking Willow why someone would be doing that when it's very obvious that you and her are involved."

Spike pulled Willow close to him, a low growl rumbling into the air. "She doesn't need anyone else. I take very good care of my Willow tree." There was a hint of gold in his eyes as he looked over to Percy. "It was good of you to let us know what the Sl... Fluffy's been up to. Thanks for that."

Looking a bit unsettled, Percy gave a weak smile. "Sure. Willow's a nice person, I want her to be happy. As long as she's happy with you, I have no room to worry." Shaking his head slightly, Percy made his careful way over to the bar, getting himself something to drink.

Spike leaned down, whispering into Willow's ear. "How far can we trust this guy?"

Willow leaned back against Spike, feeling comforted by his concern. "Percy's not a bad guy, just sort of... well, a bit self centered, and he tries to do as little as he needs to get by. I doubt that he'd make up something like this, and it would explain why there have been so many stray guys everywhere we've been lately... it's worse if I go somewhere in the daytime. I just don't understand how she could try to do this to me."

They danced for a bit, and noticed several other guys watching Willow, some of them looking annoyed by something, possibly the fact that Willow was dancing with someone else. Glaring at the room in general, Spike noticed Xander and Amy, who were dancing over to the right, apparently amused by something. Looking back at Willow, he sighed. "Maybe an apartment here in Sunnydale wouldn't be such a good thing after all. Maybe the best thing would be to go somewhere far away from this miserable little place. Tell me, luv, anywhere catch your fancy? London, Paris, Rome... anywhere you want to go, we can travel there."

Willow sighed, leaning in to Spike's arms with a smile. "I think I'd like to travel a bit, maybe see some of the world before we find another place to live. Maybe see London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Athens... see a lot of places that I've never been to. And we never have to come back to Sunnydale... although if Xander and Amy stay together it might be nice to go to their wedding."

Spike felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Not going to worry about Fluffy? What about Xander and Amy?"

"They will be safe enough, they both know what to watch out for, and Amy's got a few tricks up her sleeve, sort of like my tricks. As for Buffy... she's so fond of bringing up her destiny, let her have it. Giles said it was normal for the Chosen ones to be all alone, if she keeps this sort of thing up, she will be. She's pushing me away, this wasn't my plan. But I won't let her play with my life like this." A single tear slid down her cheek as she remembered how nice things had been when she'd first met Buffy.

Spike leaned closer, kissing the tear from her cheek. "I know it hurts, luv. But I'm here for you, now and forever.

She clung to him, feeling as if all the things that she'd thought that she could count on were slipping away, her world changing around her. He was her point of stability, he would never leave her, never abandon her to face things alone and confused, not if he had any say in the matter at all. One hand traced patterns on his back, having slipped under his slightly faded black shirt. She loved the feeling of his skin, smooth and cool, yet supple.

"Spike? Take me away from here? Can we go home now?" She managed to keep her voice from trembling too much, although the pain was audible.

Her soft words were the only prompting that he needed.

end part 80.

Willow made her way to school the next day, still hurting from the discovery that Buffy was trying to fling men at her. On her throat was the Claiming mark, renewed last night as Spike had tried to reassure her that everything would be alright. She had wrapped a long, pale green semi sheer scarf over it, the scarf being enough to obscure the teeth marks, but still showing a bit around the edging. It was easily apparent that she had a special someone in her life. On her left hand, a brilliant diamond twinkled, a gift from Spike. They both knew that the promise of forever had been offered and accepted, and that any vampire would know, but the sparkling ring would let mortals know the same. Clearly, there was need for something unmistakable to let everyone know that Willow was not available.

She noticed that a few of the guys that she passed looked as if they were considering something, some pick-up line or come on, but they didn't. The bright sparkle of her ring stopped them, or the sight of the scarf almost but not quite hiding what they assumed to be a hickey on her throat. The guys weren't the only ones that noticed the ring, and the ripples of murmured comments and speculation spread in her wake.

Cordelia was the one who finally meandered over to investigate. Her approach was the sort of determined casualness that nobody truly believed. "Willow... that's quite the ring you have there. Where did it ever come from?"

Willow looked at Cordelia, part of her mind seeking the sharp barbs that she had suffered for so many years. "My fiance gave it to me. His name is Spike, and things are very serious. He said it had been passed down his mother's family for seven generations." She held up her hand so that Cordelia could inspect the ring.

"Oh my God..." The words were a stunned whisper from Cordelia, a tone that Willow had rarely heard. "That's real... I'm amazed. I assume this is the blond you've been listening to poetry with?"

"Absolutely. He's wonderful." Willow's smile was filled with pleasant memories and joy.

"Hang on to him then. Especially since he can give you a sparkling ring like that." Cordelia's voice had taken on a note of approval, and she moved on with a smile and a slight nod.

"Yeah, I plan to keep him. Thanks." She made certain to hide as much of her confusion as possible. Cordelia was talking to her, politely, with something like approval in her voice. Was it all because of the sparkling diamond on her hand? Best not to offend her by seeming confused that Cordelia was actually talking to her. She smiled at her, hoping that this apparent approval would just maybe cut down on some of the teasing from other students, and that the circulating stories of the diamond would finally make some of those guys back off. It wasn't as if they really wanted her anyhow.

The rest of the day was almost normal, except for hostile glares and silence from Buffy. Giles hadn't been surprised at all, after all, he had known that they had Claimed each other, which was as binding among vampires as an engagement was to humans. If Spike was willing to be Claimed by Willow, what would be the problem with giving her a sparkling rock to wear on her hand? Xander and Amy had been impressed, but not entirely surprised. But the rest of the school had been startled, shocked, or stunned by the rumors that Willow was engaged.

Willow had also seen Scott Hope, the guy that Buffy had claimed to desire, the guy that she had chosen over Angel talking to some dark haired girl that Willow thought was a junior. She had seen the girl around, and was almost certain that she was on the volleyball team. Willow had wondered if Buffy had been so busy worrying about breaking up Willow and Spike that she had lost Scott. It would serve the Slayer right if she had. Who would blame Scott for looking for a girl that would worry more about her breaking up friend's happy relationship than nurturing her own new one?

Willow was on her way to the library for her free period, silently bracing herself. Buffy also had a free period, and she would probably be trying yet again to convince Willow that living guys were better than dead ones. It had become almost an obsession with Buffy.

"Hey Wills. I heard that Percy West asked you to dance last night. Is he a good dancer? Got plans for the weekend?" Buffy seemed almost too cheerful as she approached Willow.

"I talked with Percy. Seems he thinks that you're trying to find me a guy. Problem is, " Willow paused thoughtfully, raising her left hand to rub her chin a gesture of exaggerated thought. "Wait, that's right, I already have a man."

Buffy's eyes grew wide as the diamond sparkled in the lights of the hallway. "That's... Wills, you didn't have to go digging through your mom's jewelry to make people think Spike's going to stay with you."

Willow gritted her teeth, mentally counting to one hundred before speaking. "My mother never owned a ring like this. Spike gave it to me, and it is a sign of his commitment and devotion."

Buffy was about to reply, had even opened her mouth when Cordelia spoke, her voice deceptively casual. "Isn't Scott Hope supposed to be dating you right now, Buffy? Maybe you should worry about the way Kelly Shaperre is chatting him up?"

"What?! That little... Maybe I should go have a few words with him..." Buffy whirled on her foot and stormed off, looking for Scott.

Glancing over at Cordelia, Willow said something that she had never expected would ever cross her lips. "Thanks Cordelia."

end 81.

Willow sighed as she walked into the library. It was becoming pretty clear that Buffy wouldn't accept that she was with Spike, that he cared for her and made her happy. That she loved him and he loved her. Maybe the best thing to do would be to leave town after all, to travel, see Rome, Athens, Paris... so many different places all over the world. It certainly didn't look like things would be particularly happy if they stayed here.

What if Buffy tried to move beyond trying to set Willow up and telling her that Spike was evil? What if she decided to try to hurt him? Buffy would undoubtedly try to explain that she was only doing her duty as a Slayer, and blah blah... It would hurt far worse than anything that she could imagine happening to her.

Buffy would almost certainly be willing to hurt Dru, and she just might be willing to hurt Angel. For some reason, Buffy seemed to think that Angel should just be pining away for her, even though she had rejected him in favor of Scott. The discovery that Angel was far from pining, and involved with someone else would make Buffy quite furious. Regardless of the fact that she no longer had any claim on Angel, regardless of the fact that she was supposed to care for Scott. Buffy wasn't too big on logic.

She pondered those thoughts while she sat in the library. Angel and Dru had become practically family for her, and they were definitely family to Spike. No, it would be very bad for anything to happen to her family. Perhaps she should mention her concerns to Spike, Dru and Angel? Maybe she was simply being to worried, to nervous?

Feeling a bit sad, she walked over to Giles, who appeared to be staring at a thick brown leather book. Willow wondered what he was really thinking about, he couldn't have been reading the text, it was upside down. Maybe it wouldn't be interrupting if she talked to him.

"Giles? I was wondering... could I talk to you for a few moments?" Her voice was a bit hesitant.

Shaking his head slightly, as if to banish unrelated thoughts, Giles looked up. "Ahh, Willow. Yes, feel free to talk to me. I have time."

"Well, it's sort of about Buffy. I don't think that she's dealing well with the idea of me and Spike. She's... well, I think she's trying to find some way to change my mind for me. Not with magic, but... she's been pushing guys at me, trying to tell me that Spike's evil... I really don't think she's taking it well."

"I see. Has it occurred to her that she also was involved with a vampire? How does her boyfriend, what was his name again? How does he feel about her worrying so much about your relationship?"

"She insists that what she and Angel had was different, that Angel has a soul and therefore could never hurt her, that Spike doesn't have one so I shouldn't trust him... I'm afraid that she might try to hurt him. As for her relationship with Scott... I think it's causing them trouble that she's fussing so much about my relationship." Willow's voice was filled with dismay and a bit of pain.

"Hmmm... Well, I can say that she and Angel never Claimed each other. But I can't quite understand why she is worrying so much about you and Spike. Have you said anything that would explain such... concerns?" Giles voice was a bit hesitant on his last question, as if he were not certain he wanted an answer.

After a moment's thought, Willow smiled. She understood, Giles was afraid that Willow had shared certain details that might have convinced the Slayer that Spike was a danger, and a bit worried that those details might now come to his ears. "Giles, there have been no worrisome details that I gave her beyond 'yes, he bit me, it's a Claim.' I can also assure you that I have no intention of umm... over sharing, so you can relax a bit. All I'm going to say is that he hasn't hurt me, and won't in the future. He makes me happy. I just wish that Buffy would see that."

Giles nodded slightly. "I've seen it as well, he's been good to you. Perhaps... hmm, I'm not actually certain that Buffy will see your perspective on this matter. Somehow, I don't think that is everything that has been on your mind."

Willow slumped a bit in her seat, resting her chin on one hand. "No. Spike and I have been looking for our own place, somewhere that isn't my parents house. I'm starting to think the best way to go, or at least the safest would be to leave Sunnydale. Because of Buffy. And there's a part of me that doesn't want to do that, and a part of me that just wants my new family to be safe, and a part of me that sort of thinks that this should never have become such a worry... am I making any sense at all?"

"You are making perfect sense to me. Unfortunately, I think you're right about Buffy. There is one thing that I want you to remember. If you do leave Sunnydale, please stay in touch, I... you have come to be family for me as well, and I'm quite certain that I would miss you very much. Not to mention how upset Xander would be if you didn't write to him..." Giles stopped, removing his glasses from eyes that seemed suspiciously bright, perhaps with tears?

Willow nodded, feeling a lump in her own throat. "Yeah... I promise, if we go somewhere else, I'll write. Maybe I can figure out a way to just send the letters direct, without the post office? I mean, for both sides."

She was still pondering things when she arrived back at the Rosenberg house, her backpack full of homework that she hadn't done at school. She stared at it for a while, trying to muster some enthusiasm for her assignments. She had actually managed to write out almost half of her math homework when the doorbell rang.

Delighted with the excuse to stop her homework, Willow got up and walked to the door. Carefully peeking to see who was there, she smiled at the sight of Xander. Opening the door to let him in, she stopped at the troubled look on his face. "Xander? What's wrong?"

Xander shuffled into the house, sitting on one of the chairs. He looked as if he'd just made a horribly unhappy discovery. "It's... I'm having trouble figuring out Buffy. She's spending way to much time worrying about you and Deadboy-blonde. How... I mean, it's not causing you two problems, is it?"

Willow sat down, part of her wondering exactly what had Xander looking quite so upset. "Spike and I are good. We have no doubts about our feelings, and Buffy isn't going to split us up. What has you looking so horrible? I mean, horribly upset."

Xander looked at her, his eyes full of pain and sorrow. "Buffy found me before my last class. She said that I should... She said that you had a thing for me, and that if I started to look interested, you'd drop your ummm, how did she put that? 'overly pale deadbeat reject' I think it was, in a heartbeat and fall at me feet. She said that you... that you'd had a crush on me, and I could use that to get you away from Spike. Oh, God, Wills, was I that blind? Or was Buffy just..."

Willow sighed, feeling rather betrayed by Buffy herself. "I used to have a horrible crush on you. Buffy knew about it, lots of people knew about it, although you never quite noticed. I got over it, and now I have Spike. Did... does Amy know about Buffy's suggestion?"

Xander nodded, looking rather deflated. "Yeah, Amy heard Buffy's almost order. That's where I was after school, talking things out with Amy. She wasn't very happy with that idea either, said it would be all sorts of wrong to try to play with your feelings, especially since I wasn't... umm, it would be bad to use a crush on me to split up you and Spike. Why didn't I ever see it?"

Willow gave a small, sad smile as she remembered the days when she would sit, hopelessly pining over Xander. "There were always pretty girls in short skirts that distracted you. You never used to see me as a girl, not really. Amy's right though, it would be all sorts of wrong to use that. Wrong against me, and against Amy.

Xander looked at her, flinching a bit at the memories in her eyes. "Would it help any if I said I'm really sorry for being a blind idiot? How about I don't want to see you hurt again? Maybe I'm your friend, and I'm here for you anytime?"

With a small smile, Willow nodded. "That helps some. But, I've been thinking a lot about Buffy. It looks more and more like we're going to have to leave Sunnydale... me and Spike, as well as Dru and Angel. I don't think they would be safe. I mean, I'd like to think they would be, but... the way Buffy's been wigged over me and Spike, and how she sort of thinks that Angel should still be pining over her..."

All Xander could do was nod. "I know what you mean. She did break up with him. And there's this mess she's in with Scott now... why should he wait for her? So, Deadboy and Dru?" Xander shook his head, trying to picture Angel happy with someone. "Wait, did you say leave Sunnydale? But... but you're my best friend!"

"I know. But how could we stay here with Buffy the way she's been? I promise, I'll write to you, and Amy and Giles. I'm trying to figure out a way to just... bypass the postal system. You're always going to be my friend, Xander. No matter where live."

The worst part was that Xander couldn't argue with her logic. It might be very dangerous for Willow and her vampire to stay, and it wasn't worth risking his life to be near her friends, not when she could write, or... "Maybe we can visit?"

Willow gave a small sad smile. "Maybe. Although I think we wanted to see the world a bit. I can send you postcards from all over."

With a sad smile, Xander nodded. "Maybe an ocean of distance between Spike and Buffy would be safer."

end part 82.


	7. parts 83 to 91  the end

She chatted some with Xander, and that managed to distract her enough from her troubles to help Xander with his homework, and to manage her own. She felt slightly better, or at least less worried by the time that Spike sauntered down the stairs. He settled beside her on the couch, sliding his arm around her, smiling as Willow leaned against him.

"Evening luv. What brought him over, or was it just math?" Spike sounded curious, having become somewhat friendly with Xander since they'd been introduced.

Xander looked up, and carefully put down the pen he'd been writing with. "Buffy. She seems to think that I should try to help split you and Willow up, which I have absolutely no intention of doing. Assuming that you and Willow left anything of me to be mad at, Amy threatened some very specific and painful sounding hexes. I figured that I'd best let Willow know what was going on. Probably good for you to know as well."

Spike growled slightly, his eyes flickering from blue to amber to blue again. "How does she figure you would break us up?"

Xander swallowed hard, suddenly seeing not Willow's boyfriend Spike but a ruthless angry vampire. "Ahhh... the how doesn't really matter that much, does it? I mean, I'm not going to help. You make her happy, and that's all I want for her."

Spike nodded, still quite unhappy and wearing his fangs. He pulled Willow onto his lap, his arms wrapped possesively around her. "I've been looking for someone this special for almost a hundred years. I'm not about to let some stupid slayer with her knickers in a twist split us up."

Xander looked at Spike, his eyes full of questions. "Almost a hundred years? Really?"

"Really. There was this special woman I met before I was turned... I wanted someone that special for my very own ever since then. Now I have someone every bit a special. My Willow. I can help her become every bit as confident as the woman I knew then, and my Red loves me. Just like I love her with all that I am."

"Wow..." Xander had no words to describe a bond that strong. To spend almost a century looking for the perfect someone... No wonder he didn't want to give her up for anyone.

Xander looked at Spike, and Willow who was contentedly curled in his lap. "If you do leave Sunnydale, will you at least write? Send me the occasional postcard? Wills has been my friend since we were in kindergarten, I'd feel like I was missing part of me if she was gone entirely."

Spike simply nodded, having no objection to Xander and Willow staying in touch. "It sounds like we're probably going to be leaving this town. There's a good chance that Angel and Dru will decide to leave Sunnyhell. I'm not to sure where they might go, but I'd bet good money on Ireland being in there somewhere."

Frowning slightly, Xander hesitantly asked 'What will that leave for defending the Hellmouth? I mean, I was never a fan of Buffy and Angel, but he was... he was pretty useful on occasion."

Spike shrugged. "I'm sure the Watcher will manage. Especially since his bird's got a bit of magic herself."

Xander sat there a bit longer before leaving to go home. He'd ended up with quite a lot to think about, and only part of it had to do with his math homework.

end 83.

Willow and Spike had managed to find Angel and Dru that night. The dark haired vampires had gone to see a movie that Dru had been interested in, an animated movie about a girl who might or might not have been the Princess Anastasia. Dru had been practically giddy with delight after seeing it, Angel had simply been smiling at Dru with amusement.

"She sweet-talked you into taking her to that cartoon about the girl and the little dog, didn't she?" Spike sounded amused and relieved.

"Yes." Angel sighed. "I suppose she'd been talking about it for a while now? You could have warned me that this would happen."

Spike shrugged, a wicked grin detracting from his air of innocence. "Who, me?"

Willow giggled at the interaction between the two. "Amusing as this is, we actually wanted to talk to you about something serious."

Dru looked over, her mood calming as she saw Willow. "The Yellow Dragon is growling? Is she breathing fire? Will the place burn and scream?"

Angel looked puzzled for a moment, and then apparently remembered that the last time Dru had been talking about a yellow dragon, she had meant Buffy. "Do you mean Buffy? What about burning?"

Willow nodded. "Yes, it's Buffy again... or still. We need to have a talk about that, somewhere that has fewer people. There are some touchy topics here."

They walked through the night, gradually leaving the groups of people behind. They finally reached a quiet little park, one that was often ignored due to its small size and lack of a playground. They settled at one of the picnic tables.

"What has you so worried?" Angel's question broke the silence.

"Buffy. I mean, I'm absolutely certain that she still thinks that you are hers, that you're sitting in a dark corner somewhere brooding and pining after her until she decides to take you back." Seeing the furious expression on Dru's face, Willow held up her hand in a 'wait a moment' gesture. "I didn't say that you should be, and I personally think that you and Dru are good together. But Buffy doesn't know that you and Dru are together, and thinks that you can't move on from her, even though she dumped you. Not only that, but she knows that I'm involved with a vampire, and she's not dealing with it at all. If she's not trying to lecture me about how 'vampires are evil, Wills' and 'he's just using you, vampires don't really care' then she's trying to throw human guys at me. I'm so frustrated by the whole thing that I could scream."

"Those two ideas don't go very well together. If dating a vampire is so bad, why does she still want me to be waiting for her?" Angel's voice held some amusement.

"Buffy has no logic. The fact that she had that thing with you should mean that if I want a vampire and he doesn't hurt me, everything should be cool. But no, I'm just 'little Wills the book-girl' and a big bad vampire is much to dangerous for me..." The sarcasm and frustration were practically dripping from Willow's words. "She thinks that Spike and I are just temporary, in spite of everyone trying to tell her about Claiming. She's only hearing what she wants to hear."

Dru giggled, apparently amused by something that nobody else had seen. "She wants to have tea and cakes, but she doesn't want to share. All fuss and noise but there won't be a party, no parties for bad girls. She has been a very naughty girl."

Spike sighed, knowing how long Dru's episodes sometimes lasted. "Well, the thing is that Willow and I were worried that she might try a few things that are even naughtier. Something like... trying to stake me. Or you, and especially Dru."

Angel frowned at Spike's words. He had cared for Buffy, and wanted to think that she wouldn't do such a thing. But he had also wanted to think that her claims of caring for him had strength behind them, and look how that had turned out. But this concern that she might do them physical harm was a very real worry, and it sounded like something that just might happen. He still didn't like it.

Dru gasped, looking at Spike as if he had just suggested some horrible social error. "But I have been a good girl! A very, very, good girl; just ask Angel. If I am good, she isn't allowed to hurt me."

Willow sighed, hating the fact that she could now picture the blonde that had once been her friend killing her beloved, and her new family. "Those rules only work if everyone involved is following them. She hasn't been a very good girl lately. I was thinking that it might be safest to leave Sunnydale."

Dru looked sad, and a bit hurt, like a small child being told that someone doesn't celebrate birthdays. "She would really try to hurt us? Even Spike? But something happening would tear you up inside, turn everything to red pain and tearing walls. If the walls inside of you were ever torn away, there is a powerful darkness, fire fairy. Fire can warm and illuminate, but it can also devour the world if it burns hot and angry."

Willow managed a small smile. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, not to any of you. That's why we had to find you, to warn you about it. Oh, and umm, Dru? Do you think we can figure out a spell to send letters from one place to another? Not the letter to Egypt spell, or the post office, but... I don't know, something else."

Dru sighed, looking thoughtfully at Willow. "I don't know any spells to do that, although I suppose we could look. Why do you ask me? I'm just..."

With a mischievous grin that even restored a bit of sparkle to her eyes, Willow interrupted. "Just a two hundred year old vampire that's dabbled in magical study and collection your entire unlife. Why would I think that you might have some idea..."

Smiling, the four left the park. The Slayer might be willing to hurt or kill them, but they still had each other. They could also still laugh, still smile at each other with amusement.

end part 84.

Willow and Dru had been trying to research some magical way to send letters. It would probably have been easier to just use email, but Giles and computers just didn't mix. Then, something occurred to Willow. "Wait a minute... why does Giles need a separate way to contact me? He's with Jenny... umm, Miss Calendar, and she can use a computer perfectly well. They would be able to get in touch that way, assuming we stay somewhere that I can get an internet connection. That's pretty easy to accomplish."

Dru had looked at her, an amused smile on her face. "The gypsy and her magic box. How did we forget that? Oh, boxes and books and more boxes... why does the Owl live in all the books? Do you think that he would like to do something different? Maybe he could have a nice tea shop."

Willow smiled at her friend, amused by the idea of Giles opening a tea shop. "I don't know about that. But he did say once that he'd wanted to be a shop keeper when he was young. Maybe he'll open a store when Buffy graduates... If she does. I mean, she's not exactly in a long lived calling."

Spike looked over, hearing the worry in Willow's voice. "Don't worry too much about Rupert. He'll do well for himself. As for the Slayer... it's not a particularly safe calling. That's why they get people like Rupert to watch over them. Helps keep them safe, as long as they listen to their watchers."

She smiled at him, knowing that he didn't really care about Buffy, but just wanted to make her feel better. "Thanks. I hope everything goes well for them, especially for Giles."

Meanwhile, Buffy was patrolling across town, in one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries. She had been hoping to find some violence, some safe way to vent her frustration. Willow was involved with a vampire, and that vampire had somehow convinced her to let him bite her. To do extremely unWillowy things with him. And Willow didn't want to hear any reasonable suggestions to get herself uninvolved while she still had a pulse. Scott, who was HER boyfriend now, had been talking to that little tramp Kelly. Oh, he said he'd just been trying to get the biology notes for the couple days that he'd been sick, but she'd recognized the look in Kelly's eyes. Kelly wanted Scott.

Scowling, she stalked through the rows of headstones, trying to sense vampires, or demons, or just about anything evil and dangerous. She could feel this little itching that spoke of vampires to the left. With a small smile of anticipation, she pulled a stake from her bag, and moved closer, hoping to figure out what the situation was before charging into the middle. As she got closer, she could hear voices.

"I mean, it has to be an improvement, right? That he's involved with a vampire now?" The speaker was hidden, but he sounded a bit slow, and rather whiney. He had to be a minion.

"Of course it's an improvement. Just about anything would be an improvement from the Slayer. It's just not natural, vampires and Slayers making nice with each other." This voice belonged to a woman, and she sounded a bit impatient, as if Whiney-boy was getting on her nerves.

"But what are they planning? I saw her, and she's... strong. Pretty too, in that long pale dress, all floaty and gauzy. She didn't seem like the sort to stay in the background." A new voice, a nice tenor, and obviously smarter than the first vampire.

Buffy stiffened as she listened. 'He' had been involved with a Slayer... that had to be Angel. But what had that been about him being involved with someone else now? Pretty, long pale dress... it had to be that loopy chick from the park. The one she'd had Willow help look up, Drizzle or something. What was her Angel doing with some demanding vampire? She would have to look into that. Right after she dusted those three vampires.

She attacked the vampires with hot fury running through her body. How dare they talk about Angel being with some other woman like it was a good thing? How dare they sound so appalled at the idea of the relationship that she and Angel had? And how dare Willow go so blindly into the arms of death? How dare Angel have some other woman, even a loopy vampire? How dare Scott stand there while Kelly made 'come-here' eyes at him?

Buffy practically snarled as she twisted, kicking and stabbing with the stake. This wasn't just about vampires, this was to release her frustration and anger at the world changing so drastically on her. The feeling that her friends would be there, a dependable predictable safety net was gone. Her Angel, the wonderful handsome guy that would never leave her was playing with some dead girl. She tried to ignore the little voice that whispered that she had thrown Angel away, that she had chosen Scott over Angel. The little voice that said if she could have someone else, so could Angel.

Finally, the vampires were nothing more than piles of dust spread over the grass. Feeling a bit disappointed that they were gone, she kicked at the dust piles, scattering them further. "Why does life have to be so complicated? Why can't everything be simple again?"

Where could she find out more information on this matter? Angel and this other vampire? Where did all the information normally pass through? Willie's Alibi, the seediest, most disreputable looking place that she'd ever seen. Willie would know something about Angel. All she had to do would be go and persuade him to share.

Buffy stalked off towards Willies, determined to find out what her Angel was up to. Surely, it would involve some big evil that she could fight, something big enough to silence that annoying little voice that was saying that she was jealous that Angel might be happy without her. Saying that since she had picked Scott, she shouldn't be so possessive of Angel anymore. That little voice was getting annoying, especially since it was probably right.

She was still not happy about any of this.

end part 85.

Willow had been dozing, Spike's arms wrapped comfortingly around her. Suddenly, she woke up, gasping for breath, trembling with fear.

"Wha... Willow? What's wrong?" Spike was awake immediately, the scent of Willow's fear jolting him into awareness.

"Dream... very bad dream. I hope it was just a dream. I saw Buffy... and she was attacking Dru and Angel. Something about if she couldn't have him, nobody would, and then she was planning to come after you... oh God, it was such a horrible dream." She clung to Spike, trembling, tears spilling from her eyes as she put words to the horrible images.

"Calm yourself just a bit, luv. Dreams don't always come true. If it would make you feel better, we can call Angel and let them know about it, just in case." Spike was rubbing soothing little circles on her back.

Willow nodded, still trying to calm her racing heartbeat and rein back her frantic breathing. Surely Buffy wouldn't kill Angel? Surely she wouldn't stalk into Willow's home and try to kill the man that Willow loved? Buffy might still have a thing for Angel, but she couldn't be that unbalanced, could she? She didn't know anymore if she was trying to convince herself or uttering a desperate prayer. Please let it have been just a dream.

Spike had picked up the phone, dialing the number for Angel's apartment easily. They'd both had a lot of practice recently. "Hello? Angel, hope I didn't interrupt you two lovebirds over there."

"Glad to hear that. But... hang on, blast it! I'm getting there, just tried to be polite for once! Red had a bad dream, something about the Slayer showing up and staking the both of you. It's got her all upset and crying."

"No, no reason to think that it's anything but her own worry, but she said it would help her calm down if we let you know. Sort of a just in case warning."

"Yeah, be careful yourself. Don't really want to have a pile of dust in the family instead of you." Spike's voice was almost calm, with a hint of worry underneath as he hung up the phone.

Turning his full attention back to Willow, he pulled her up into a firm hug, holding her close enough that he could imagine his heart beating in time with hers. "I told them about the dream, luv. Can you relax a little bit now? Feeling any better?"

"S-sort of." Willow was still sniffling a bit. "Can we make hot cocoa?"

With a smile, Spike started the water heating for hot cocoa, wishing that he had the right things to make old fashioned hot chocolate, the sort with steamed milk and melted chocolate. That always tasted far better than any powdered mix. But sometimes you had to settle for what was available, and tonight, he had to settle for packaged cocoa mix. At least there were the little marshmallows.

Meanwhile, Buffy had been wandering the streets of Sunnydale, her mind spinning in strange spirals. She had gone to Willies, and persuaded the snitch to share his information on Angel's recent activities. She'd only had to kill this one huge snarling demon that had attacked her when she walked into the bar, and then Willie had been rather cooperative. Angel and Drusilla, together. Angel was having... with Drusilla. Not with her. Dru. Because she'd dumped him for Scott, who she wasn't having sex with. Who was flirting, or at least being flirted at by Kelly. She didn't like any of it.

The more she considered the situation, the angrier she became. Angel was involved with someone else, and sounded as if he might be happy. That little reasonable voice that sounded so much like her mom said that she should be happy for Angel. But she wasn't, instead she felt jealous that someone else had him, and she felt as if... as if something wonderful had been taken away from her, like a small child whose favorite toy had been stolen. Of course, that only made her feel even more upset, because Angel wasn't a toy, and she didn't want to think that she had ever viewed him as a possession. Thinking about Scott didn't help very much either. Yes, he was cute and seemed friendly and human, but... he didn't take things seriously, and she had no idea how much she really mattered to him. Sure, they were both human, so the whole nice house and kids thing was possible... if being a slayer didn't get her killed, if he didn't run off with a cheerleader, if... There were a thousand 'if's that could prevent her from having a normal happy future. She'd had someone who loved her, who would never betray her, and... and she'd dumped him for some cute high school boy.

Oh, God, she sounded so petty. It left a sour taste in her mouth and made her stomach churn with anger and frustration and dismay. She was actually more angry with herself than she was with Angel. She walked faster, her thoughts spinning crazily in her head. Angel was a person, with a past and feelings and desires, and she'd let him go - thrown him away . Since he was a person, and people weren't things to own, she had no reason to be angry that he had someone else, not logically. But she was angry, and hurt, and sad. Had she been that easy to replace? Had what they'd shared been of so little importance to him?

But those questions only made her squirm with the knowledge that she'd gone out with Scott the very day after she'd broke up with Angel. That she'd been spending time with Scott before breaking up with Angel. Behaving like that made a part of her wonder how much Angel had really meant to her, if she could move away from him so easily. She wanted desperately to understand, to know why her own choices were hurting so much.

She wanted to be happy, why was that simple desire causing her so much pain?

Buffy had so many questions, so much confusion on why her life was spinning into directions that she'd never wanted that it made her head hurt. Part of her just wanted everything to go back the way it used to be. Thing had gone into strange directions. Willow was dating, and all sorts of other things, a vampire named Spike. She'd broke up with Angel, and had started dating Scott. Angel was involved with Dru. Giles had a girlfriend - that was enough to really give her the wiggins right there.

Part of her, the part that had become the Slayer, wanted to take all of her friends and put them away, somewhere that the horrors of the night could never touch them, never hurt them. It was a minor complication that there was no such place, and they wouldn't have been willing to leave anyhow. That reasonable part of her mind was also telling her that she shouldn't be trying to interfere in Willow's relationship the way she had been. She knew that it was wrong to try to fix up someone with a date when they had a guy already. For the love of God, she'd even known that back when she was no more than a flaky cheerleader at Hemerly. Willow probably hated her now, considering the way she'd been an interfering busybody. Buffy wasn't even certain anyone would blame Willow if she couldn't stand her anymore.

There had to be a way to fix all of this. Something that she could do to make some of this pain and confusion go away. Sighing, she blew a lock of hair out of her eyes, and took a careful look at her surroundings. Maybe she could come up with a plan.

She was standing outside of Angel's apartment building. Perfect.

end part 86.

Willow was not calm. She paced along the hallway, worried about her dream. Part of her was insisting that the dream had simply been a reflection and visualization of her fears... you picked up a lot about dream analysis with a Psychologist for a mother. Another part was wondering in nervous dread if her new magical powers included some sort of precognitive or clairvoyant abilities, which might mean that the dream wasn't just her own fears. If there was no more than her fear, it should help that they were all planning to leave Sunnydale. Angel and Dru had decided to fly to London, and they'd arranged to leave next week. She and Spike were also planning on leaving, he'd promised a trip to Rome. So they wouldn't be in Sunnydale much longer, there would soon be no more fear about Buffy killing one of her new family in a fit of jealous rage.

She was only thinking herself in big circles. She was afraid that Buffy would hurt someone, and the idea bothered her. They would all soon be leaving Sunnydale, which would make them safe. She had no idea if her nightmare had been a nightmare or a warning, and the very fact that she thought it might be a warning was enough to give her the wiggins all by itself. She was Willow, and she didn't think that she was one of the vastly powerful important people who was supposed to get warnings of the future.

"Luv, pacing and fretting won't change anything. Come in and have some cocoa." Spike's voice came from the kitchen.

"I know pacing won't change anything, but it helps me focus my thinking. Sort of keeps it on the same path, instead of going off on strange tangents like how do vampires shave with no reflections? Can vampires be photographed with the older cameras that use reflectives? What about the new digital cameras? How did the whole running water thing get started, because I've seen that it isn't true... I even babble in my thoughts." She sighed as she sat on one of the kitchen chairs, her hands arched around but not quite touching the very hot cup of cocoa.

Spike sipped at his thermo nuclear hot cocoa, wincing slightly at the temperature. "Guess I made the cocoa a bit too hot. I know you're worried. I'm a bit worried as well, but there's nothing else that we can do about the Slayer... unless you want me to try to kill her."

Willow sighed. "I'd rather not try to kill Buffy. It's important to have someone protecting the Hellmouth, but... why can't she just be happy for me?

Spike shrugged. "You're asking me to figure out the thoughts of a Slayer? One who's been juggling guys? I have no idea what's going on inside her head, and I'm not sure that I want to know."

Willow giggled a bit at that, a small smile hovering over her lips. "I suppose you're right."

Pulling her down onto his lap, Spike gave her a hug, not quite letting go. "I love you. No matter what, no matter what's happened before I came to Sunnydale, no matter who your friends are, I want you to know that. Forever and always. I might not exactly say the words all the time, but... they're there."

She sighed happily, and snuggled closer to him. "I love you too. It's just... I worry sometimes. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

The only thing that he could do in response was wrap his arms firmly about her, murmuring words of love into her ear. They sat there until their cocoa was cold, simply holding each other. Two people that had found love, desperately hoping that their relationship would't be attacked by someone.

Across town, Buffy had entered the building, and she was standing in front of Angel's door. Her mind was full of questions and 'why's and emotional turmoil. She needed to sort out everything, and that would require dealing with Angel. Who was on the other side of the door... and he wasn't alone. She could feel two vampires on the other side, both giving a fairly strong vibe. It itched, and felt like something was shaking her bones, the floor shaking by a construction site. She had her hand on the doorknob, and was trying to figure out exactly how to handle this.

Angel wasn't her enemy. She didn't need to kick the door down and slay him and his new girlfriend, Drizzle. Maybe Drizzle wasn't the new girl, that book had said that she was his Childe... Maybe she could... no. It wouldn't help start a rational conversation with your ex to stake their current whatever.

But how could she just go in and make nice with the person who'd replaced her? The person who was so happy without her? Could she go inside and talk to him like a calm person instead of a raving jealous psycho? Buffy winced at the way she'd phrased that, even in her own thoughts.

Buffy had entirely lost track of how long she had stood there, trying to figure out how to talk to Angel. Her mind was still twisting and turning, making no progress when the doorknob twisted under her fingers, and pulled away as the door was opened from inside the apartment.

"Hello Buffy." Angel was there, looking at her. His expression was entirely unreadable, and he looked so handsome, wearing what looked like deep blue silk tucked into faded blue jeans.

Buffy shifted on her feet, feeling incredibly nervous. When she finally managed to speak, her words came out in a soft, tense whisper. "hi Angel." She paused, clearing her throat. "Can I... can I come inside? I think... I think we should talk."

"My Angel? Why is the taffy girl at our home? Shouldn't she be... Hmmph. I shall have to tell the little tree that she is hearing the stars." Dru was standing in the hall, looking in on them. She wore a floor length robe of dark purple silk, bits of gold lace at the cuffs and the throat. With luck, or another person, there might be something under the robe.

Angel looked over at Dru, and the look spoke volumes. Part of it was a warning to try to be civil, and part of it was a look of affection, and there was more that Buffy couldn't read. "Dru... Buffy wants to talk. Can you bring out some tea?"

Dru gave Buffy a suspicious look, and nodded. "I can get tea. Maybe the leaves will show me something happening to her. Nasty taffy girl... all sticky." Dru walked into the kitchen, muttering about taffy and things sticking.

Buffy frowned, feeling a bit nervous. Dru clearly wasn't happy that she was here. Angel didn't look very happy either. "Can we... can we sit down?"

Angel nodded, and walked over to the couch and chair in his room, and gestured towards the chair. "Go ahead, sit. We can try to be reasonable about this."

Buffy settled into the chair, feeling how supple the leather was. Closing her eyes for a moment and inhaling the scents of leather and Angel, allowing herself a moment of memory and wistful longing. Hearing a slight rattle, she opened them again, looking with a bit of suspicion at the other woman as she carefully placed a tray onto the coffee table.

Dru came back into the room, carrying a lovely tea set in her hand, three porcelain cups and a matching teapot, ivory with delicate golden swirls around the rims. She didn't look at Buffy, but instead poured the tea into each cup before setting the pot down beside the delicate creamer and sugar bowls. Letting one hand with pale slender fingers and gold painted nails rest on the silver spoon beside the sugar bowl, she looked at Angel. "We have sugar and milk both, if you want some in your tea, but we have no lemon."

Angel poured a small amount from the creamer pitcher into a cup, picking it up and holding it, the shadow of a smile on his face as his fingers curved around the delicate cup. "What did you want to talk about, Buffy? I thought that everything we'd had to say had been said."

She felt herself blushing, and spooned some sugar into her cup to try to hide her cheeks. "I... I'm sorry. I've made a mess of everything. I broke what we had... and now..." Her words trailed away. Buffy wasn't entirely certain how to put everything into words.

"You can't have him back. My Angel isn't a toy, and you let him go, be free little bird... little bird found a new nest, not going back to sticky taffy. Stop pestering little tree and her pale tiger before she lets her tarnished knight kill the yellow dragon." She was glaring at Buffy, her eyes flecked with amber.

Buffy stared at her, blinking as she tried to decipher exactly what all of that had meant. The only part that she was certain of was that the vampiress didn't want to let Angel go. "Huh?"

Angel made a small noise, like he'd tried to swallow a laugh and failed. He reached one hand out, catching the fingers of his childe. "Ahhh, she means Spike and Willow. Dru was suggesting that you should leave them be about their relationship."

"Spike and... oh, Willow, tree, I get it now." Buffy sipped at her tea, trying to figure out why it felt so hard to see them together. She'd let him go, thrown him away, why wouldn't he move on? Why did it have to hurt? "I just... I want her to be safe."

Dru made a small noise, before looking at Buffy with a tiny smile. "Little tree lives over the mouth. There isn't safety over the mouth, too many things with legs and teeth and claws trying to eat the world... But Spikey would never hurt his tree. She is his Princess, his fire fairy, and she holds his heart. They are very happy, very often. Don't make the little tree cry. She can't control all of the sparkly power, and if you break the walls, there will be screams and pain... darkness instead of a fire fairy... It would be a very sad day, and the owl would cry."

"The mouth... you know about the Hellmouth. I guess that makes sense." Buffy was staring at Dru, still tying to make sense of the words. Fairies and power, and what was the whole connection to an owl? She looked at her cup, trying to make sense of things. "I've been feeling horribly jealous. I mean, I let you go, and you seem to be happier now, happier than you were when we were together. It hurt that you and Dru got together so quickly."

"It hurt... It hurt that Dru and I?" Angel's voice conveyed shock. "How could you tell? You were still with that mortal boy that you'd ALREADY BEEN SEEING! You went to a concert with him BEFORE you broke up with me. You had him on the side before you told me that we didn't have a future together. Or maybe I was the one you were keeping on the side."

Buffy stared at Angel, part of her mind trying to figure out how Angel had known about Scott, how he knew about the concert. Another part was feeling an intense mixture of pain and guilt, knowing that he had every right to be angry. She was also remembering Willow's words. 'Because if they find out your seeing someone else while being sorta whatever with them, you'd better believe they won't be happy.' Angel had found out about Scott, and he really didn't look happy. Her voice sounded very small and pitiful, even to her own ears. "Would it help if I said I'm very sorry?

"You're sorry..." He shook his head as he sank back against the couch. His next words almost didn't sound like Angel at all, they sounded harsh and sarcastic. "That just makes everything better, doesn't it? You're sorry. Thing is, you choose to see him, choose to be with him in the daytime instead of trying to work harder to have something with me. Now, you aren't happy with how everything's turned out, and there's Willow, with her very own vampire, and they're so damn happy together that it makes you green. You're jealous that Willow and Spike are happy, when you aren't with your high school boy. Get over it, Buffy. And leave them be, they've found happiness."

Buffy found herself almost wondering if he was still himself, or if he'd somehow been switched with an evil twin. "Emotions aren't that easy. I'm glad that she's happy, I am."

Angel nodded. "Good. You should be happy for her. That's what a friend does. Maybe, if you focus on what's between you and what's his name, you can be happy as well."

Buffy swallowed, feeling a lump of guilt, resignation, and something else, something almost like fear. He was right, and she knew that he was right. It was also evident that there would be no happy reconciliation between her and Angel. Reasonably, she hadn't expected it, but there had been a small corner of hope. "I guess... I guess there isn't anything else to say. Good night Angel."

She walked out the door, her eyes stinging with tears that she fought to keep from falling. He had been right, and it hurt. She had lost Angel. All she could do now was hope that she hadn't destroyed her friendship with Willow as well.

end part 87.

Buffy couldn't quite bring herself to call Willow, partly out of the idea that most people would be asleep at this hour. If she wasn't asleep... well, she didn't want to interrupt them if they were... busy. That certainly wouldn't be the best way to try to salvage... something with Willow.

She waited until school, slipping Willow a note that read 'I've been an idiot. Can you forgive me? We need to talk. -Buffy' All she could do was hope that Willow would talk to her, that there could be enough forgiveness in Willow to allow something like forgiveness.

Willow was waiting in the library at the last period, wearing a pair of close fitting jeans and a deep green shirt that had a square neckline and no sleeves, a sheer scarf in pale green concealing the bite on her throat, making it look like no more than a hickey. She didn't look like the shy, hesitant girl that Buffy had first met anymore. This Willow seemed older, more self confident about all sorts of things, and far more secure in herself and her place in the world. It pained Buffy, but it was obvious that Spike had been good for her.

"Willow. I... I'm sorry." Buffy made herself say the words, hating the fact that they were not only deserved, but long overdue.

Willow looked at Buffy, her expression cool and guarded. They had been talking less and less lately, and far less of it had been anything personal, mostly details of class assignments, and questions about the latest evil menace threatening Sunnydale. Which was why it wasn't such a surprise to see her looking so wary, but it hurt. "Exactly what are you apologizing for?"

Buffy winced, knowing that she deserved that question, hating that her own actions had been so horrible tot he person that was one of her few real friends. "For... a lot of things. For trying to fix you up with other guys when you had someone, for calling him evil... for not having the decency to let you have the same chance at a forbidden relationship that I insisted on taking."

Willow gave a small smile, one that didn't quite warm her eyes, but did make them sparkle a bit. "Does this mean that you won't be trying to talk me out of having Spike in my life? That you'll stop telling guys here at school that I need a man? Because, I have one, and I certainly don't have the time or energy for another."

"I'm... You're right, I have been doing that. I shouldn't have. I'll stop trying to throw guys at you. But... can't I worry about you? He's a vampire! I just... I just want you to be safe." Buffy's voice broke, and tears stung at her eyes. She blinked furiously, trying to keep them from falling.

Willow smiled again, this one feeling more real, lightening her eyes a bit. "Good. I understand the idea of worrying, but... Spike isn't going to hurt me. He loves me, and I love him. Everything will be okay."

Buffy felt something loosen in her chest, and it was as if a pressure that she had only partly been aware of had been released. "Do I have to like him?"

Willow actually giggled at that. "No. You don't have to like him, just like I don't have to like Scott, or anyone else that you might choose to date. But I won't try to convince you not to go out with them unless I have a good reason, like I think you could get hurt, and I have something to back it up with. By the way, the only thing I know about Scott is that he's dated around a lot."

Buffy sighed. "So, 'he's a vampire' isn't a good enough reason? But... he bit you. How can you say that he won't hurt you?"

Some sort of interesting memory caused Willow's eyes to become slightly unfocused, and her face to blush. "He wasn't... let's just leave it at this wasn't a painful bite. Think of it as a vampire engagement ring. Or try not to think about it if the whole thing bothers you. But it means that he won't be leaving me, and he won't be hurting me."

Buffy felt a pang of envy inside her. Willow seemed so certain that Spike wouldn't hurt her, wouldn't cheat on her or leave her. It was a certainty that she didn't have with Scott. The fact that the guy who made Willow go dreamy eyed and cherished her was a vampire made the envy even more bitter. Even though she already knew what Willow would say, Buffy heard the question come from her lips. "He really makes you happy?"

Smiling at her, Willow nodded. "He makes me very happy. All he wants is for me to be Willow, to love him with all that I am, and for me to accept him and let him love me. He doesn't care what sort of grades I get, or what music I listen to. My parents and their careers don't matter to him. Just me. It's a wonderful feeling."

"I guess... Scott doesn't look at me like that. I'm not his reason for being, and I'm not really sure where I stand with him. I'm jealous that you're so happy. Does that make me a bad friend?" Her voice held envy, regret, and a bit of fear.

"No, feeling jealous that I'm happy doesn't make you a bad friend. Trying to throw guys at me while I have one does. But... I'm glad that you figured out that you shouldn't, and I accept your apology. See you tomorrow in history."

Buffy watched Willow leave the library, certain that things would never be the same again. She had strained and cracked the bonds of their friendship, and she had no way to know if they would ever heal enough for them to be as casual and close as they had been before. On the bright side, Willow was still speaking to her.

A soft noise from the back of the library, the sound of a book being shelved told her that Giles was here. How much of the conversation had he heard? What did he think about her recent behavior. Buffy felt herself blushing as she imagined what Giles must think of her. Well, she might as well as him what he thought of her chances of mending her friendship with Willow.

"Giles? Will things ever be the same between me and Willow?" Her voice sounded almost like a small child asking their parent if there were really monsters in the closet.

Walking towards her, Giles shook his head. "No, Buffy. Things will never be the same as they once were, not with Willow, not with anything. You can only move forwards, not back into the past. That isn't to say that with effort and persistence you might not be able to rebuild the friendship that the two of you once had, but... even then things would be different."

"You know, sometimes the whole grown up honesty thing can be a bit painful." She tried to smile as she said the words, attempting to hide the worry and fear that nothing would be the same, that she would be alone except for an uncertain boyfriend, and that she would die at the talons of a cruel demon. That she would pass unmourned from life.

"I thought that you would want the truth." Giles adjusted his glasses, a sure sign that he was feeling awkward.

Fidgeting a bit as she stood, Buffy looked at him through her lashes. "Being a grown up is hard. Can I have a five minute break? A few minutes where I don't have to be reasonable, and don't have to think about the hard parts?"

He sighed a bit, settling into one of the chairs around the massive oak table that so often held stacks of books on demons and prophecies. "What would you want in that five minute break?"

She sat at the table with him, resting her chin on her hand. "Lie to me. Tell me that everything will be alright."

"Lie to you, tell you that everything will be perfectly fine..." He shook his head in amusement, chuckling slightly. "Well, Buffy, one day you will wake up, and you will automatically know right from wrong, and you will never again hit a red light or suffer... bad hair? You will be able to see the little labels that identify the good guys, and all the bad guys will have large horns, black cloaks, or badges that proclaim their evilness. The good guys will always win, everybody will live happily ever after, and you will be best friends with Willow and Xander forever."

She smiled at him, her eyes warm. "Liar."

Giles only smiled, opening a book that appeared to be nothing more ominous than poetry. "Perhaps there might be a bit of happily after for us all. Take a few moments for hope and optimism."

end part 88.

Willow was feeling a bit unsettled as she let herself back into the house. She kept thinking about what Buffy had said. How she'd said that she was sorry, how she wanted to repair their friendship. It sounded good... but how serious was Buffy?

"Welcome back, luv. What has you all thoughtful and nibbling your lip? I could do that instead..." Her Spike was there, his eyes sparkling with good humor.

Looking at him, she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself close and breathing in his scent. "I love you. But as for why I'm all thoughtful... Buffy wanted to talk to me today. She apologized for trying to fix me up with other guys, and said that she wanted to try to be friends again, like we used to be."

Holding her close, Spike simply said "ahhh."

Giggling a bit, Willow ran her finger over the small scar on his eyebrow. "I know, you aren't impressed with Buffy. You have no problems with me not being as close to her as we used to be. But... I keep wondering how sincere she was. I mean, she seemed upset, but... can she stay all accepting-Buffy?"

"I'm not going to pretend to like her, because I don't. But she made Angel miserable, and she hasn't been making you very happy lately either. It would be a lot simpler to just kill her... new Slayer, no old emotional baggage." His words sounded almost teasing.

Sighing, Willow let herself rest against him. "I know, she made us all miserable. But, no, I don't want you to kill her. Part of me wants to give her another chance, to get my friend back. But another part of me is afraid. I can't turn back time, we can't undo the things that she did. I wouldn't want things to go back to how my life was without you. It's just... I want my friend back, but I don't want to be hurt if she decides that it's too hard."

"Makes sense to me, everything but the part about wanting her as a friend." Spike grinned as he spoke, knowing that his words would distract Willow from her worrying.

Willow had laughed, and they had gone into the kitchen to find a light snack. The fact that Spike most likely intended to distract her from considering all things connected to school or Buffy and slaying was clear, and neither of them felt any need to mention it. It would be enough to act upon his intentions.

Meanwhile, Angel and Dru were snuggled together on the couch. Angel felt better knowing that Buffy had realized how badly her actions had stung, and that she wouldn't be returning to the place in his arms, the place where his Dru fit so wonderfully. How had he ever deluded himself into thinking that he could be happy with someone that couldn't accept all of him? Someone that tried to deny the nature of what he was? Granted, he wasn't the ruthless killer that he had been, but sunshine was out, solid food was out, and he existed on blood. He wasn't human, and he couldn't do all the things that humans did.

Dru seemed to be feeling happier as well, although it was rather doubtful that it was from any measure of concern for Buffy.

"The yellow dragon spoke to the tree... she promised to stop trying to take away the tree's kitty, perched up in the branches. My Angel, do dragons keep their promises? Will we still be going away to see London?"

Angel looked at her, smiling as he brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "I don't know if the dragon will keep her promise. But yes, we will be going to London. I know how much you said you wanted to see the big clock. The only thing for either of us that's in Sunnydale now is Spike and Willow."

Dru smiled, and her voice was low, as if she was whispering a secret to him. "The Flower sent a book of magic to the Tree... one day they will make me an auntie. Will you help me find them little soft boots and fuzzy blankets for the little kitten? Spikey will take her away from this place, the Mouth is not safe. They will make love under the moonlight of Greece, and watch the waves come in on the belly of the world..."

Angel looked at her, trying to make sense of Dru's words. It sounded as if she was trying to tell him about the future. Eventually, he concluded that it didn't make any sense to him, so perhaps he would have to ask Willow and Spike to explain. He was also trying to picture a kitten in soft baby boots and a blanket, and it was a most amusing image.

He pulled Dru closer, and felt peace flow through him, body and soul. "Then I wish them great enjoyment of the Grecian moonlight and the waves on the belly of the world. You make me happy Dru, being here with you, knowing that William... Spike is part of my family again. It's a good feeling. I just hope that everything lasts. Nothing this peaceful and this perfect seems to last very long."

"You mean like a holiday?" She had snuggled up against his side, one hand slowly brushing over his stomach.

Angel shifted on the couch, the position suddenly... not quite as soothingly comfortable as it had been mere moments before. "Yes. This rather feels like a holiday, and eventually, I'll have to go back to work."

With a sly grin, Dru whispered to him. "You're not supposed to be worrying about redemption right now, my Angel. Right now, you're supposed to be taking care of your Princess. We can go chase the nasty shadows away in the city of angels after we have a nice holiday away... we can look at the big clock and the giant birds. Then we can go to the city of Angels and you can work away your guilt."

Part of Angel's mind wanted to think about her words, certain that they were important. Another part of him, located distinctly lower than his brain wasn't worried with things over or after the summer. Especially not with her hand sliding over his pants like that... Best to 'take care of his Princess' now and worry about the future later.

end part 89.

The next morning, Willow decided to talk to Giles. He probably wouldn't be able to help her figure out if her relationship with Buffy could be repaired, but... The back up plan was to leave early to travel. If there was a chance that she might be leaving the country, she owed it to Giles to let him know. He was practically family by this point, far more than Ira or Sheila Rosenberg had ever been.

She found him in the library, and as she walked in, she noticed his quickly closing some sort of magazine or catalog and shoving it under a pile of papers, as if he was hoping that she wouldn't discover what he'd been looking at. Which was entirely odd, and not the sort of behavior that she would have expected from Giles.

"Ummm, Giles? There's something... I sort of felt like I should tell you some of the plans Spike and I have." She had been so startled by the magazine thing that she had forgotten her carefully planned words.

He looked up, an almost guilty startled expression being quickly replaced by somewhat nervous concern. "What sort of plans are these?"

Willow settled onto one of the solid wooden chairs, smiling as she thought of her Spike. "Well, we'd figured for quite a while now that after I graduate, we'll be leaving Sunnydale. The plan is for a sort of tour of Europe. I've always wanted to see Athens. But, umm... things with Buffy had been sort of... tense. She said that she wants to work on it. But she also used to say that she wanted to work on her relationship with Angel, and she gave him up because it was too hard. If she decides that it's too hard to be friends with someone dating... somebody like Spike, We'll just leave earlier than planned. I thought... well, you're more family than my parents are, I wanted you to know."

Giles smiled, apparently relieved by something. "I hope that you're always as happy with him as you seem right now. And I do hope that things between you and Buffy can be repaired." He reached over the desk for his teacup, accidentally bumping the stack of books that were covering the magazine. They didn't topple, but they shifted enough to reveal the corner of the... jewelry catalog?

Reaching over, Willow moved a few papers, revealing a bit more of the catalog. It was definitely a jewelry catalog, and she recognized the name from some of Cordelia's chatterings. They sold expensive, high quality gemstone jewelry. Was Giles considering... did he want to ask Jenny to marry him? The idea bubbled inside of her, and she couldn't help but smile. Hopefully, Giles could have some happiness as well.

"Actually, maybe I should just go... put some of the returned books back on their shelves. Your desk looks like it could use a de-cluttering." She slipped back out into the main section of the library, still smiling. Giles and Miss Calendar... which would make her Jenny Giles instead of Jenny... Janna Calendar. She just hoped that Giles actually got the courage to ask... unless she was reading things wrong and he was only intending to give her a pretty sparkly present. Maybe Giles wasn't considering engagement rings. But it was an interesting thought.

She was still smiling as she met Xander and Amy for lunch. They looked sort of cute together, and as they sat under the shade of the big oak tree in the courtyard, Amy leaned back against Xander, who wrapped his arms around her. Yes, they definitely looked cute. She could feel her smile stretching wider.

"What's so funny?" Xander's comment stirred up the calm.

"Not funny, sweet. You two look so sweet all snuggled up like that." Willow knew that she was smiling like some sort of demented elf, but right now, she was too cheerful to care. Life was good.

Amy just smiled. "Sweet, huh? I like the sound of that. And I like having my Xan to be my own personal snuggle-bunny."

Xander's ears went rather pink, making Willow wonder exactly how snuggly the two of them had gotten. But instead of commenting, he just pulled Amy close and placed a kiss on her head, with a silly grin on his face.

"Life is good. We're young, were in love, the weather's great... what could" Suddenly, Xander stopped his words with an almost audible click, and continued in a more subdued voice. "Let's not ever finish that sentence in Sunnydale, okay? I can't believe I almost jinxed us all like that."

Amy simply turned, giving Xander a look. "Maybe I'd best find a way to keep you from talking?"

Willow giggled and walked away as they kissed. Maybe she should give the love-birds some space. It was good to see them so very happy. Happiness was spreading like a rash all over the place. She settled on a bench, pulling out an apple to eat.

"They certainly seem... entirely unaware that some things aren't for public display." Cordelia's voice was unmistakable, although lacking the sharp tones of malice.

Willow glanced over, determining that Cordelia was meaning Xander and Amy, who were still kissing. "I think Xander's too busy to think about being on display. They're... sort of cute together. How are things with you?"

Tilting her head slightly, Cordelia looked at the couple. "Well, in a sort of unfashionably dressed sort of way, they are cute together. But I much prefer someone with a bit more style. I have a date this weekend with Percy."

Remembering her own talks with the athlete, Willow smiled. "He's not bad to look at. Rather nice guy as well. I wish you the best of luck with him."

Cordelia looked at her, one neatly shaped eyebrow arching. "Oh? How do you know if he's a nice guy? Don't you have your hands full with Spike?" Her words were accompanied by a gesture at the sparkling diamond on Willow's finger.

Willow simply smiled. "Of course Spike keeps me busy, and no, I don't have time for anyone else. But... for a while, I'm sure that you know Buffy was trying to split me and Spike up by throwing guys my way? Percy was one of them, and he actually said something to me about what was going on. So, he's a nice guy, at least if he tries."

Cordelia frowned. "Why would Buffy have a problem with you having your own boyfriend? Isn't she with Scott? Does that mean that hunk of salty goodness that she used to see is available?"

Willow giggled a bit at Cordelia's description of Angel. "Yes, Buffy is with Scott now, as far as I know. She broke up with Angel, but he's not available. He ummm... I guess you could say that he got back together with an ex of his. Her name is Dru, she's a friend of mine. Buffy's objections were more about Spike than the idea of me having someone."

Cordelia sighed. "Well... too bad. I'm sure I could have made him very happy. Why would Buffy not like Spike? Does she even know him?"

For a moment, Willow debated how to explain this to Cordelia. "Okay... I'm going to go for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Remember the dead students from before the Spring dance? They were killed by vampires. Angel is a vampire, and so is Spike. Buffy broke up with Angel because she couldn't cope with that, and I think she's jealous that I've got my vamp when she couldn't handle hers. She was saying that he might hurt me, which he would never do."

"Wow... you sure know how to go for the overwhelming... Angel's a vampire? But the good kind, right? Is there a good kind?" Cordelia's voice sounded a bit stunned, but it was clear that her mind was still working.

"Yeah... Angel's a vampire. He's also one of the good guys, and no, there aren't a lot of good vampires. It's too much work for most of them." Willow's voice carried a hint of amusement.

Cordelia looked thoughtful. "So... is your's actually going to marry you? Where will you be going for a honeymoon?"

Willow felt herself smiling. Cordelia certainly had a solidly established way to not think about scary things in the dark. "We've already Claimed each other. It's a vampire and supernatural thing. Basically, in the eyes of his people, we are already married. The ring lets normal human beings know that I'm not available. We're going to go to Europe, see Athens and Rome and Venice... And we might be leaving sooner rather than later, if... well, we don't know exactly when we'll be leaving."

"Wow. Athens, Rome and Venice? You realize that that's going to cost quite a bit, right?" Cordelia's voice held excitement and just a hint of jealousy.

With a small shrug, Willow smiled at her new... sort of friend. "We won't have money problems. He's got what you might call family investments."

"Sounds like you're going to go off and live happily ever after." Definite jealousy this time.

"I hope so. There's a lot of 'looks like happily after' going around." Willow's voice was filled with hope and joy. Hope for the future, and joy that so many of her friends were happy.

end part 90.

Willow had to admit that Buffy seemed to be trying. The Slayer was trying very hard to accept that Willow was involved with a vampire, and she'd actually managed to refrain from making any comments about it. But she wasn't happy about it.

Buffy was also rather upset that Angel was involved with Dru now. She'd been jealous, and had spent some time crying on Giles shoulder. Not the tears of someone who wanted him to fix it, but the tears that said it hurt, and she needed someone to listen.

It helped Willow's peace of mind to know that Buffy understood that Angel had every right to move on, considering that she'd broke up with him. Angel and Dru had every right to try to be happy. She also knew that they were planning to leave Sunnydale soon, for a visit to England and Ireland. She hoped they enjoyed themselves.

Xander and Amy were also very happy, except for the minor points of Xander's parents couldn't really stand Amy any more than they liked Xander, and her mother was certain that Xander wasn't good enough for her daughter, not quite mentioning the fact that Catherine Madison had always wanted her daughter to marry a witch or at least someone with magic in their family.

Cordelia and Percy were if not entirely blissful, still dating. Percy didn't put up with all of Cordelia's demanding whims, and Cordelia didn't give him the adoring glazed look that some of the girls did. The relationship had actually been good for their egos, deflating them a bit in a way that hadn't left terrifying emotional fallout everywhere. It was much too soon to tell if they would end up a long term couple, but for now, they were good together.

Giles had been watching Jenny with this hopeful, worried look, which had only increased Willow's suspicions that he'd been searching for a ring. She really hoped that they could be happy together.

Leaning back against a tree, Willow smiled as she worked on her history homework. Life was good. Her friends were happy, even Buffy was sort of happy. Buffy'd decided that she really should work on figuring out how things were between her and Scott, instead of worrying about Willow. Everyone had been relieved by that particular choice.

She and Spike had planned to take a small trip over the summer, to go and visit a few places that he thought she would find interesting. The additional fact that it would mean the two of them were almost alone quite often... and that Willow wouldn't want him to be bored and lonely all day, would simply be a delightful added bonus. Willow could hardly wait for the summer.

Yes, life was definitely good. She couldn't ask for anything better. She had someone that loved her, and would never leave her, and her friends had found happiness as well.

end part 91.

end Time for Blood and Roses.


End file.
